Literacy rate: 45%

Numbers in tertiary education: 9774 students

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

At independence, between 85% and 95% of the adult population were illiterate, while school closures during the civil war created a lost generation of uneducated people. In 2001, around two-thirds of youths (15–24) could read thanks to a concerted literacy campaign. The government used World Bank/IMF debt relief to strengthen the education budget in 2001.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004