Bangladesh vs India: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes
Bangladesh
79.0%
in 2022
India
78.2%
in 2024
Bangladesh rank
59th
India rank
62nd
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes over time
- Bangladesh
- India
How they compare
Bangladesh currently reports 79.0% against 78.2% in India, a difference of 0.8%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 10 shared years of data; in 1981 it was India ahead.
Bangladesh ranks 59th and India ranks 62nd of 89 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Bangladesh averaged higher in 1 and India in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bangladesh | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 29.2% | 40.8% | 11.5% | India |
| 1990s | 35.3% | 48.2% | 12.9% | India |
| 2000s | 47.5% | 61.0% | 13.5% | India |
| 2010s | 66.3% | 71.9% | 5.6% | India |
| 2020s | 76.8% | 76.0% | 0.8% | Bangladesh |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes, Bangladesh or India?
- Bangladesh, at 79.0% against 78.2% in India as of 2022.
- What is the difference in adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes between Bangladesh and India?
- 0.8%, with Bangladesh ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bangladesh and India?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2022.
- How do Bangladesh and India rank globally for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- Bangladesh ranks 59th and India ranks 62nd of 89 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release