Which has higher literacy rate, adult male, Maldives or South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?

Maldives, at 98.2% against 84.6% in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) as of 2019.

How many years of comparable data are there for Maldives and South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?

10 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2019.

Where does this data come from?

Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Maldives vs South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Literacy rate, adult male

Maldives

98.2%

in 2019

South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

84.6%

in 2024

Maldives rank

24th

South Asia (IDA & IBRD) rank

24th

Literacy rate, adult male over time

Maldives
South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

How they compare

Maldives currently reports 98.2% against 84.6% in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), a difference of 13.6%.

That makes Maldives's figure about 1.2 times South Asia (IDA & IBRD)'s.

Across all 10 years both countries report, Maldives has been ahead every year.

Maldives ranks 24th and South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 24th of 88 countries.

Maldives has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Maldives	South Asia (IDA & IBRD)	Difference	Ahead
1970s	82.4%	52.3%	30.1%	Maldives
1980s	92.1%	56.5%	35.6%	Maldives
1990s	96.1%	61.9%	34.1%	Maldives
2000s	97.3%	72.6%	24.7%	Maldives
2010s	97.0%	80.9%	16.1%	Maldives

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher literacy rate, adult male, Maldives or South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?: Maldives, at 98.2% against 84.6% in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) as of 2019.
What is the difference in literacy rate, adult male between Maldives and South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?: 13.6%, with Maldives ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Maldives and South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?: 10 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2019.
How do Maldives and South Asia (IDA & IBRD) rank globally for literacy rate, adult male?: Maldives ranks 24th and South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 24th of 88 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Maldives vs South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Literacy rate, adult male. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rate-adult-male-percent-of-males-ages-15-and-above/maldives/south-asia-ida-and-ibrd/

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About this data

Indicator: Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above)
Unit: % of males ages 15 and above
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 127 places, 2,578 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed: 17 September 2026

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.