Literacy
"Reading and writing" redirects here. For the journal, see Reading and Writing (journal). World map indicating literacy rate by country in 2015 (2015 CIA World Factbook ) Grey = no data World illiteracy halved between 1970 and 2015 . Brain areas involved in literacy acquisition Literacy is traditionally defined as the ability to read and write. [1] In the modern world, this is one way of interpreting literacy. A more broad interpretation is literacy as knowledge and competence in a specific area. [2] The concept of literacy has evolved in meaning. The modern term's meaning has been expanded to include the ability to use language, numbers, images, computers, and other basic means to understand, communicate, gain useful knowledge, solve mathematical problems and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture. [3] The concept of literacy is expanding across OECD countries to include skills to access knowledge through technology and ability to assess compl...