Malaysia vs Sri Lanka: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes

Malaysia
1.11 million
in 2022
Sri Lanka
1.30 million
in 2024
Malaysia rank
30th
Sri Lanka rank
28th

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes over time

  • Malaysia
  • Sri Lanka
0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M199120072024

How they compare

Sri Lanka currently reports 1.30 million against 1.11 million in Malaysia, a difference of 186,090.

That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.2 times Malaysia's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 6 shared years of data; in 2010 it was Malaysia ahead.

Malaysia ranks 30th and Sri Lanka ranks 28th of 59 countries.

Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malaysia Sri Lanka Difference Ahead
2010s 1.25 million 1.33 million 80,470 Sri Lanka
2020s 1.11 million 1.31 million 201,870 Sri Lanka

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes, Malaysia or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka, at 1.30 million against 1.11 million in Malaysia as of 2024.
What is the difference in adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes between Malaysia and Sri Lanka?
186,090, with Sri Lanka ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Sri Lanka?
6 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2022.
How do Malaysia and Sri Lanka rank globally for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes?
Malaysia ranks 30th and Sri Lanka ranks 28th of 59 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Malaysia vs Sri Lanka: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-both-sexes-number-2/malaysia/sri-lanka/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/adult-illiterate-population-15-years-both-sexes-number-2/malaysia/sri-lanka/">Malaysia vs Sri Lanka: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
262 places, 6,930 data points, 1989–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release