Bangladesh vs India: Literacy rate

Bangladesh
79.0%
in 2022
India
78.2%
in 2024
Bangladesh rank
89th
India rank
92nd

Literacy rate over time

  • Bangladesh
  • India
020406080190119622024

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 89th and India ranks 92nd of 128 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 literacy rate, Bangladesh or India?
Bangladesh, at 79.0% against 78.2% in India as of 2022.
What is the difference in literacy rate 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 literacy rate?
Bangladesh ranks 89th and India ranks 92nd of 128 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Literacy rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Bangladesh vs India: Literacy rate. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/cross-country-literacy-rates/bangladesh/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed

Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.