Literacy rate in Indonesia
Indonesia: Literacy rate was 96.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Indonesia, 1950–2020
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate in Indonesia is 96.0%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Indonesia peaked at 96.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 17.5%, in 1950.
Indonesia ranks 50th of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Literacy rate in Indonesia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 17.5% | — |
| 1980 | 67.3% | +284.6% |
| 1990 | 81.5% | +21.1% |
| 2004 | 90.4% | +10.9% |
| 2006 | 92.0% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 92.2% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 92.6% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 92.3% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 92.8% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 95.1% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 95.2% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 95.4% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 95.7% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 96.0% | +0.4% |
Indonesia compared with similar countries
- Indonesia's 96.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.4%, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Indonesia's 96.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.0%, 100% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate in Indonesia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +284.6% | 17.5% | 67.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 17.5% | 17.5% | 17.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 67.3% | 67.3% | 67.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 81.5% | 81.5% | 81.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 91.8% | 90.4% | 92.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 94.4% | 92.3% | 95.7% | 6 |
| 2020s | 96.0% | 96.0% | 96.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Indonesia
More education data for Indonesia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.73 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.45 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 27.84 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 28.68 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1004 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Indonesia?
- Literacy rate in Indonesia was 96.0% in 2020, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Indonesia?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Indonesia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.5% in 1950.
- How does Indonesia rank for literacy rate?
- Indonesia ranks 50th out of 128 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Indonesia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Indonesia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.