Illiteracy declines in the Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- Illiteracy in the Dominican Republic has declined steadily in recent years, nearing pre-pandemic levels, according to a new study by the Dominican Institute for Evaluation and Research on Educational Quality (IDEICE). However, persistent gaps remain in rural regions, among older adults, and in low-income communities.

Based on data from the 2024 Enhogar and ENCFT national surveys, the illiteracy rate dropped to 6% and 5.6% respectively, down from 6.8% and 6.3% in 2021. Despite this progress, IDEICE’s report—Comprehensive Analysis of Illiteracy in the Dominican Republic 2016–2024—highlights “significant disparities,” particularly in the southwestern and northeastern Cibao regions compared to the metropolitan area.

The report notes that men consistently showed higher illiteracy rates across all years studied, though those rates fell from 8.3% in 2016 to 6.4% in 2024. Among women, illiteracy dropped more sharply—from 7.2% to 5.6% over the same period, representing a 22% reduction. In urban areas, the rate declined to 4.7% in 2024, while rural areas showed troubling volatility: from 12.8% in 2016 down to 2.1% in 2018, only to rise again to 13.6% in 2021 and slightly improve to 13.2% in 2024..