6 answers, 3 from the Republic of the Congo's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
80.5% of people aged 9 and over in the Republic of the Congo could read and write in 2022, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) household living conditions survey (EHCVM). The rate was highest in Pointe-Noire (87.7%) and Brazzaville (85.5%), and lowest in Cuvette-Ouest (51%).
The literacy rate is the share of people in an age group who can read and write, following the UNESCO Institute for Statistics method. Urban literacy was 86%. Because the survey covers people from age 9, the figure is not directly comparable with adult literacy rates for people aged 15 and over.
The net primary school enrolment rate in the Republic of the Congo was 84.5% in 2022, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) household living conditions survey. The gross enrolment rate was 116.3%. Girls (84.6%) and boys (84.4%) had almost the same net rate.
The net rate is the share of children of official primary-school age who are in primary school. The gross rate counts all primary pupils of any age, so it can exceed 100% when many children are older than the official age because they started late or repeated years. Net rates ranged from 92.7% in Niari to 76.1% in Likouala.
Government spending on education in the Republic of the Congo was 3.3% of GDP in 2023, according to the World Bank, using UNESCO data. It was 2.7% in 2022.
The figure covers spending by all levels of government on schools, universities and education administration. Because GDP in the Congo moves with oil prices, the share can change even when spending stays the same. No national education spending figure was found on the sites of the National Institute of Statistics and the Ministry of Finance, checked on 15 October 2026.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
In 2023, gross tertiary enrolment in the Republic of the Congo was 10.4%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Since 2009 it has ranged from 5.9% (2009) to 12.1% (2017). It is 9th highest of 16 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 11.0%. Worldwide: 112th of 120.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2023, is 3.3% of GDP. Its high point since 2005 was 2010, at 5.7% of GDP; its low point was 2005, at 1.7% of GDP. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 3.3% of GDP; the Republic of the Congo is 18th highest of 35. World rank, highest first: 67th of 112.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2023, is 71.1%. Its high point since 2005 was 2011, at 75.2%; its low point was 2009, at 66.6%. It is 14th highest of 24 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 74.0%. Worldwide: 116th of 131.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error