Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia
MDG: Eastern Asia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes was 97.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
97.5%
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
32nd
of 203 groups
All-time high
97.5%
in 2024
All-time low
61.5%
in 1976
Years of data
49
1976–2024
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia stood at 97.5%. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia peaked at 97.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 61.5%, in 1976.
MDG: Eastern Asia ranks 32nd of 203 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 61.5% | — |
| 1977 | 61.5% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 62.8% | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 64.3% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 65.7% | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 66.9% | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 68.1% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 69.2% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 70.3% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 71.5% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 72.6% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 73.6% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 78.7% | +7.0% |
| 1989 | 79.5% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 80.1% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 80.7% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 81.2% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 81.7% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 82.2% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 82.7% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 83.2% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 90.3% | +8.5% |
| 1998 | 90.7% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 91.0% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 91.3% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 91.7% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 92.0% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 92.3% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 92.6% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 93.0% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 93.3% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 94.6% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 94.8% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 95.5% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 95.7% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 96.1% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 96.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 96.4% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 96.6% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 96.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 96.9% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 97.0% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 97.1% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 97.3% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 97.4% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 97.5% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 62.5% | 61.5% | 64.3% | 4 |
| 1980s | 71.6% | 65.7% | 79.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 84.4% | 80.1% | 91.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 93.1% | 91.3% | 95.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 96.1% | 95.3% | 96.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.3% | 97.0% | 97.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: Eastern Asia
More education data for MDG: Eastern Asia
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 53.41 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.2925 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.03 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 103.27 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.6211 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 60.05 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.25 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,711 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 22.52 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia was 97.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Eastern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 97.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Eastern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.5% in 1976.
- How does MDG: Eastern Asia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes?
- MDG: Eastern Asia ranks 32nd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: Eastern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: Eastern Asia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release