Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in China
China: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 95.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
95.0%
World rank
30th
of 89 countries
All-time high
95.0%
in 2020
All-time low
51.1%
in 1982
Years of data
5
1982–2020
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in China, 1982–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in China stood at 95.0%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in China peaked at 95.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 51.1%, in 1982.
China ranks 30th of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 51.1% | — |
| 1990 | 68.1% | +33.1% |
| 2000 | 86.5% | +27.1% |
| 2010 | 92.7% | +7.1% |
| 2020 | 95.0% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 51.1% | 51.1% | 51.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 68.1% | 68.1% | 68.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 86.5% | 86.5% | 86.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 92.7% | 92.7% | 92.7% | 1 |
| 2020s | 95.0% | 95.0% | 95.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.41 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 7,020 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.36 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 97.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 108.57 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9587 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0771 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in China?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in China was 95.0% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 95.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.1% in 1982.
- How does China rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- China ranks 30th out of 89 countries with data for 2020.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release