Literacy rate in Philippines
Philippines: Literacy rate was 98.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Philippines, 1918–2020
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 Philippines is 98.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Philippines peaked at 98.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 48.8%, in 1939.
That places Philippines 25th out of 128 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Literacy rate in Philippines, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 49.2% | — |
| 1939 | 48.8% | -0.8% |
| 1948 | 61.3% | +25.6% |
| 1950 | 62.5% | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 83.3% | +33.3% |
| 1990 | 93.6% | +12.3% |
| 1994 | 93.9% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 92.6% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 92.6% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 95.4% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 97.1% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 96.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 98.2% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 96.3% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 98.5% | +2.3% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 98.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.4%, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 98.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.0%, 1.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate in Philippines 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 | +33.3% | 62.5% | 83.3% |
| 1948 | +25.6% | 48.8% | 61.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 49.2% | 49.2% | 49.2% | 1 |
| 1930s | 48.8% | 48.8% | 48.8% | 1 |
| 1940s | 61.3% | 61.3% | 61.3% | 1 |
| 1950s | 62.5% | 62.5% | 62.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 83.3% | 83.3% | 83.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 93.7% | 93.6% | 93.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 93.5% | 92.6% | 95.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 97.0% | 96.3% | 98.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 98.5% | 98.5% | 98.5% | 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 literacy rate in Philippines?
- Literacy rate in Philippines was 98.5% 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 98.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.8% in 1939.
- How does Philippines rank for literacy rate?
- Philippines ranks 25th out of 128 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Philippines 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.
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CSV · JSON — 15 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.