Literacy rate in Nepal
Nepal: Literacy rate was 68.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Nepal, 1950–2019
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 Nepal is 68.7%, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Nepal peaked at 68.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 1950.
That places Nepal 107th out of 128 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 20.6% | 20.6% | 20.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 33.0% | 33.0% | 33.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 52.1% | 48.6% | 55.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 65.2% | 59.6% | 68.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 28.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.3% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 128.6% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers 157,456 (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.96 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 126.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Nepal?
- Literacy rate in Nepal was 68.7% in 2019, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 68.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 1950.
- How does Nepal rank for literacy rate?
- Nepal ranks 107th out of 128 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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 — 9 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.