Education in Peten, Guatemala: official figures
78.1% of people aged 15 and over in Peten could read and write in the 2018 census (national: 80.8%), 8th lowest of 22 departments.
What is the male literacy rate in Peten?
Among men aged 15 and over in Peten, 80.4% were literate in 2018 (national: 85.3%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyWhat is the female literacy rate in Peten?
Among women aged 15 and over in Peten, 75.9% were literate in 2018 (national: 76.7%), 11th lowest of 22 departments.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyIs there a gender gap in literacy in Peten?
Men's literacy in Peten was 4.4 percentage points higher than women's in the 2018 census (national: 8.6), 6th narrowest gap of 22.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyHow many adults in Peten cannot read?
75,933 people aged 15 and over in Peten could not read or write in 2018, 4.0% of the 1,905,223 nationally; the illiteracy rate was 21.9%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyHow many illiterate adults in Peten are women?
Women make up 55.4% of the adults who cannot read or write in Peten (2018 census), compared with 63.8% nationally.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyHow Peten compares with other departments
Literacy rate, age 15 and over (census) (2018)
Peten ranks 15 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Literacy rate, age 15 and over (census) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Suchitepequez | 80.6% |
| 13 | San Marcos | 78.5% |
| 14 | Jalapa | 78.4% |
| 15 | Peten | 78.1% |
| 16 | Baja Verapaz | 73.7% |
| 17 | Chiquimula | 73.1% |
| 18 | Solola | 71.9% |
Women's literacy rate, age 15 and over (census) (2018)
Peten ranks 12 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Women's literacy rate, age 15 and over (census) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Retalhuleu | 79.1% |
| 10 | Izabal | 79.1% |
| 11 | Jutiapa | 78.9% |
| 12 | Peten | 75.9% |
| 13 | Suchitepequez | 75.3% |
| 14 | Jalapa | 74.8% |
| 15 | San Marcos | 73.3% |
Gap between men's and women's literacy (census, percentage points) (2018)
Peten ranks 17 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Gap between men's and women's literacy (census, percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Escuintla | 5.2 pts |
| 15 | Jutiapa | 5.0 pts |
| 16 | Izabal | 4.7 pts |
| 17 | Peten | 4.4 pts |
| 18 | Guatemala | 4.2 pts |
| 19 | Santa Rosa | 4.0 pts |
| 20 | Chiquimula | 3.1 pts |
More on Peten: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · Guatemala
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2018: age by literacy (can read and write) by department and sex, Redatam table (INE data, copy published by CONALFA), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 794d5a4775c7…)
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