Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412)
ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412): Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 82.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412), 1986–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412) recorded 82.7% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412) peaked at 82.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 75.8%, in 1986.
ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412) ranks 96th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 75.8% | — |
| 1987 | 76.0% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 77.2% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 77.5% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 77.7% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 77.9% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 77.9% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 77.3% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 76.7% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 76.5% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 76.6% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 76.5% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 77.1% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 77.3% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 77.4% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 77.8% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 78.2% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 78.1% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 78.2% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 78.5% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 78.6% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 78.9% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 79.4% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 79.8% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 79.9% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 80.1% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 80.4% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 81.7% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 81.9% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 82.3% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 82.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 81.5% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 81.7% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 81.9% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 82.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 82.3% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 82.5% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 82.7% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 76.6% | 75.8% | 77.5% | 4 |
| 1990s | 77.1% | 76.5% | 77.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.5% | 77.4% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.2% | 79.4% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.3% | 81.9% | 82.7% | 5 |
More education data for ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 10.50 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 4.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 27.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 20.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 512,600 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.77 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 219,383 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2.29 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 2.1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 731,983 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412)?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412) was 82.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412)?
- The highest recorded value was 82.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412)?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.8% in 1986.
- How does ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412) rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412) ranks 96th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCAP: Lldc (lldc_e) (unsdcode:98412) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release