Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Tonga
Tonga: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 99.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Tonga, 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Tonga stood at 99.5%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Tonga peaked at 99.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 63.9%, in 2019.
Tonga ranks 6th of 57 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Tonga, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 99.1% | — |
| 2006 | 98.6% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 99.4% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 93.0% | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 63.9% | -31.3% |
| 2023 | 99.5% | +55.6% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 99.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.5%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 99.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 99.1% | 99.1% | 99.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.6% | 98.6% | 98.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 85.5% | 63.9% | 99.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 99.5% | 99.5% | 99.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More education data for Tonga
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,086 (2015)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 20 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1,228 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1,164 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 16,132 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15,644 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1502 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Tonga?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Tonga was 99.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 99.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.9% in 2019.
- How does Tonga rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
- Tonga ranks 6th out of 57 countries with data for 2023.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga 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