Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in SDG: Central and Southern Asia
SDG: Central and Southern Asia: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 83.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in SDG: Central and Southern Asia, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
SDG: Central and Southern Asia recorded 83.9% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in SDG: Central and Southern Asia peaked at 83.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 51.8%, in 1975.
That places SDG: Central and Southern Asia 122nd out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in SDG: Central and Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 51.8% | — |
| 1976 | 51.9% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 52.5% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 53.0% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 53.6% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 54.1% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 54.6% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 55.2% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 55.8% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 56.3% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 56.8% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 57.3% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 57.9% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 59.2% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 59.9% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 60.7% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 61.2% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 62.2% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 63.1% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 63.7% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 64.3% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 65.0% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 65.6% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 70.3% | +7.2% |
| 1999 | 70.8% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 71.3% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 71.9% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 72.5% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 73.4% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 74.0% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 74.4% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 74.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 74.8% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 75.6% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 76.2% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 77.5% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 77.6% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 77.7% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 78.5% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 78.9% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 79.9% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 80.9% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 81.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 81.6% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 81.3% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 81.8% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 82.4% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 83.0% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 83.5% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 83.9% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.5% | 51.8% | 53.6% | 5 |
| 1980s | 56.7% | 54.1% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.7% | 60.7% | 70.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.8% | 71.3% | 76.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.5% | 77.5% | 81.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.9% | 81.8% | 83.9% | 5 |
More education data for SDG: Central and Southern Asia
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 92.92 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 58.28 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 99.66 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.3161 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.04 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 192.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.4111 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 8.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.87 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in SDG: Central and Southern Asia?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in SDG: Central and Southern Asia was 83.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in SDG: Central and Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 83.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in SDG: Central and Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.8% in 1975.
- How does SDG: Central and Southern Asia rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- SDG: Central and Southern Asia ranks 122nd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in SDG: Central and Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Central and Southern Asia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release