Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Philippines
Philippines: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 99.2% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Philippines, 1980–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Philippines recorded 99.2% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in 2020. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Philippines peaked at 99.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 93.1%, in 1980.
Philippines ranks 7th of 57 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Philippines, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 93.1% | — |
| 1990 | 97.3% | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 98.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 99.1% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 98.1% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 99.2% | +1.1% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 99.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.5%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 99.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.7%, 1.0× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 93.1% | 93.1% | 93.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 97.3% | 97.3% | 97.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 98.5% | 98.1% | 99.1% | 3 |
| 2020s | 99.2% | 99.2% | 99.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More education data for Philippines
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 495,843 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 201,568 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.06 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 983,812 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.87 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.06 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.8345 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1128 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Philippines?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Philippines was 99.2% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 99.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 93.1% in 1980.
- How does Philippines rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
- Philippines ranks 7th out of 57 countries with data for 2020.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Philippines data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release