CEDAW/C/1997/3/Add.3 English Page 11 19. The place of women and girls in the field of education has considerably improved and the gap between men and women has narrowed greatly since 1970. 20. In all the countries providing information the literacy rates for women have increased, except in Barbados, Comoros, Jamaica and Lesotho. It exceeds the rates for men in Uruguay, Jamaica and Nicaragua. It is lower in the rural areas, except for Estonia and Tadjikistan. Table 1. Estimated adult literacy rates, by region, 1980 and 1995 a/ 1980 1995 MF M F MF M F WORLD TOTAL 69.5 77.2 61.9 77.4 83.6 71.2 Developing countries of which: 58.0 68.9 46.8 70.4 78.9 61.7 Sub-Saharan Africa 40.2 51.8 29.2 56.8 66.6 47.3 Arab States 40.8 55.0 26.2 56.6 68.4 44.2 Latin America/Caribbean 79.7 82.1 77.5 86.6 87.7 85.5 Eastern Asia/Oceania of which: China 69.3 66.0 80.4 78.6 58.0 52.7 83.6 81.5 90.6 89.9 76.3 72.7 Southern Asia of which: India 39.1 40.8 52.8 55.3 24.5 25.3 50.2 52.0 62.9 65.5 36.6 37.7 Least developed countries 36.5 48.3 24.9 48.8 59.5 38.1 96.6 98.0 95.4 98.7 98.9 98.4 Developed countries a/ Percentage of literate adults in the population aged 15 years and over. Source: World Education Report 1995. 21. The enrolment rates of girls at the primary level has increased or has remained the same, except in 14 countries. Among these, some, in particular Austria, Finland and Norway, already had a high rate 20 years ago, and others, in particular Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Zaire and Zambia might attribute their absence of improvement to economic reforms and budgetary restrictions. /...