"If you're totally illiterate and living on one dollar a day, the benefits of globalization never come to you"

Jimmy Carter’s words illuminate a vital intersection between literacy, poverty, and global economic trends. Globalization, often celebrated for its potential to lift millions out of poverty, tends to benefit those with the education and tools needed to participate in a rapidly changing economy. For the world’s poorest, those surviving on just one dollar a day, a lack of literacy forms a nearly insurmountable barrier to accessing these benefits. Illiteracy denies basic access to information, hampers the ability to participate in new markets, prevents individuals from understanding their rights, and limits their potential to demand fair wages or to improve their livelihoods.

The globalized economy relies on written communication, digital tools, and constant learning. Someone unable to read or write is immediately excluded from vast opportunities, formal employment, access to services, entrepreneurship, or even understanding health guidelines or legal documents. Literacy is the first step toward personal agency in these environments. Without it, the promises of globalization, improved technology, expanded markets, greater employment, rarely trickle down to the most vulnerable.

Furthermore, Carter’s observation points to the deeply structural nature of global inequality. Economic reforms, free trade agreements, and foreign investments predominantly benefit those in societies with robust educational systems and supportive infrastructure. Meanwhile, people without basic education must contend with not only resource scarcity but also systematic exclusion. Their daily struggle for survival overshadows the broader wave of global economic progress.

This reality demands that international development efforts prioritize basic education and literacy. Without these foundational tools, people will not only fail to access globalization’s benefits, but may also be further marginalized by it, widening the gap between rich and poor both within and among countries. Carter’s insight is a call for inclusive progress, recognizing that true global advancement must begin with enabling the most disadvantaged to participate fully.