Far too few people are able to achieve literacy, with greatest inequalities found between industrialized and developing nations. Gaps are found within each country, including Sweden, where all have the same formal right to knowledge, but in practice, social class distinctions differentiate individuals. Sweden has a common goal of an increased and expanded literacy rate, but people speak of literacy using different concepts and theories. The goals and boundaries of the International Literacy Year (ILY) should be broadened to include numeracy, cultural heritage and national traditions, active citizenship, and the craftsmanship and skills of the labor force. During the ILY, the National Board of Education, county boards of education, and local authorities have actively worked towards the goal of better reading and writing abilities among young people and adults and they have published reports and publications on the results. The ILY has been an occasion to develop pedagogical and didactic perspectives. The focus of the ILY is a question of: (1) the right to education; (2) avoidance of the creation of new gaps in an information society; and (3) giving of priority to women and children. (YLB)