Education in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala: official figures
83.5% of people aged 15 and over in Quetzaltenango could read and write in the 2018 census (national: 80.8%), 7th highest of 22 departments.
What is the male literacy rate in Quetzaltenango?
Among men aged 15 and over in Quetzaltenango, 88.6% were literate in 2018 (national: 85.3%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyWhat is the female literacy rate in Quetzaltenango?
Among women aged 15 and over in Quetzaltenango, 79.3% were literate in 2018 (national: 76.7%), 8th highest of 22 departments.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyIs there a gender gap in literacy in Quetzaltenango?
Men's literacy in Quetzaltenango was 9.3 percentage points higher than women's in the 2018 census (national: 8.6), 10th widest gap of 22.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyHow many adults in Quetzaltenango cannot read?
90,317 people aged 15 and over in Quetzaltenango could not read or write in 2018, 4.7% of the 1,905,223 nationally; the illiteracy rate was 16.5%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyHow many illiterate adults in Quetzaltenango are women?
Women make up 68.2% of the adults who cannot read or write in Quetzaltenango (2018 census), compared with 63.8% nationally.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Censo 2018 · saved copyHow Quetzaltenango compares with other departments
Literacy rate, age 15 and over (census) (2018)
Quetzaltenango ranks 7 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Literacy rate, age 15 and over (census) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | El Progreso | 86.6% |
| 5 | Santa Rosa | 85.6% |
| 6 | Chimaltenango | 84.2% |
| 7 | Quetzaltenango | 83.5% |
| 8 | Retalhuleu | 83.4% |
| 9 | Zacapa | 81.9% |
| 10 | Izabal | 81.4% |
Women's literacy rate, age 15 and over (census) (2018)
Quetzaltenango ranks 8 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Women's literacy rate, age 15 and over (census) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Santa Rosa | 83.6% |
| 6 | Zacapa | 80.7% |
| 7 | Chimaltenango | 79.7% |
| 8 | Quetzaltenango | 79.3% |
| 9 | Retalhuleu | 79.1% |
| 10 | Izabal | 79.1% |
| 11 | Jutiapa | 78.9% |
Gap between men's and women's literacy (census, percentage points) (2018)
Quetzaltenango ranks 10 of 22, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Gap between men's and women's literacy (census, percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | San Marcos | 11.0 pts |
| 8 | Suchitepequez | 11.0 pts |
| 9 | Chimaltenango | 9.5 pts |
| 10 | Quetzaltenango | 9.3 pts |
| 11 | Retalhuleu | 8.9 pts |
| 12 | Jalapa | 7.7 pts |
| 13 | Sacatepequez | 7.4 pts |
More on Quetzaltenango: 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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