Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male was 81.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Bangladesh, 1981–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Bangladesh stood at 81.4%.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and up 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Bangladesh peaked at 85.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 58.0%, in 1981.
That places Bangladesh 51st out of 57 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 58.0% | — |
| 1991 | 62.6% | +7.9% |
| 2001 | 70.3% | +12.2% |
| 2011 | 73.8% | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 73.4% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 77.3% | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 77.6% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 78.7% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 83.6% | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 83.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 84.3% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 84.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 84.9% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 85.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 81.4% | -4.3% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 81.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 91.0%, 89% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 58.0% | 58.0% | 58.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 62.6% | 62.6% | 62.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 70.3% | 70.3% | 70.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 79.7% | 73.4% | 84.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 83.8% | 81.4% | 85.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More education data for Bangladesh
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Bangladesh?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male in Bangladesh was 81.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 85.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.0% in 1981.
- How does Bangladesh rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male?
- Bangladesh ranks 51st out of 57 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release