China vs East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Literacy rate, youth total

China
99.8%
in 2020
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
99.2%
in 2024
China rank
12th
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank
9th

Literacy rate, youth total over time

  • China
  • East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
020406080100197620002024

How they compare

China currently reports 99.8% against 99.2% in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), a difference of 0.6%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 5 shared years of data; in 1982 it was East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ahead.

China ranks 12th and East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 9th of 95 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade China East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) Difference Ahead
1980s 88.8% 89.1% 0.4% East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
1990s 94.3% 94.3% 0.1% East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
2000s 98.9% 97.9% 1.0% China
2010s 99.6% 98.7% 1.0% China
2020s 99.8% 99.1% 0.7% China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher literacy rate, youth total, China or East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
China, at 99.8% against 99.2% in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) as of 2020.
What is the difference in literacy rate, youth total between China and East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
0.6%, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
5 years are reported by both, from 1982 to 2020.
How do China and East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank globally for literacy rate, youth total?
China ranks 12th and East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 9th of 95 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24). 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

China vs East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Literacy rate, youth total. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rate-youth-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-24/china/east-asia-and-pacific-excluding-high-income/

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 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/compare/literacy-rate-youth-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-24/china/east-asia-and-pacific-excluding-high-income/">China vs East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Literacy rate, youth total</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)
Unit
% of people ages 15-24
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
135 places, 2,762 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.