70% The adult literacy rate is the percentage of adults aged 15 and up who can read and write a brief, straightforward statement about their daily lives. The literacy rate in Madagascar in 2018 was 74.80 percent, a 3.23 percent rise from 2012. Madagascar's literacy rate has increased since its lowest point in 1995, when it was 46.90 percent. This increase is similar to that of other middle-income countries. Of those able to read, almost all (96%) can read at least one language. These are primarily French, Malagasy, and native languages such as Antaloa and Tamatave. There are three main factors that influence literacy rates: education level of parents, gender equality, and poverty. Countries with more educated parents have higher literacy rates. Gender equality appears to be linked with lower rates of illiteracy. Poor countries with high percentages of children going to school but then dropping out cannot afford to invest in educating their workers. In Madagascar, women play an important role in literacy rates because they are often responsible for bringing up families while their husbands go to work. If wives do not receive any form of formal education, then it follows that their marriage prospects will be limited. This would therefore discourage many men from marrying or taking on partners who are unable to read and write.