The table below shows the estimated literacy rates by region and gender for 2000-2004. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The table illustrates the estimated

literacy

rates in five regions: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania between the years 2000 and 2004.

Overall

, Europe, America, and Oceania are areas with

literacy

rates over 90%,

while

Africa’s

overall

literacy

is less than other places.

Firstly

, 82.2% of the world's population was literate, with a higher

literacy

rate for

men

(87.2%) compared to

women

(77.3%), showing a 10% difference. In Africa, the

overall

literacy

rate is 62.5%, and there is a considerable gender difference, with 71.6% of

men

being literate and only 53.95% of

women

.

Similarly

, in Asia, the

overall

literacy

rate is 79.3%, with 85.9% for

men

and 72.5% for

women

.

On the other hand

, 98.8% of European residents are able to read and write.

Moreover

, on closer examination, both genders'

literacy

rates are almost equal, with around 99.2% for

men

and 98.5% for

women

.

In contrast

, regions like America and Oceania have approximately the same values, with around 93% of the population having basic education.