Cross country literacy rates in Philippines
Philippines: Cross country literacy rates was 98.47 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Cross country literacy rates in Philippines, 1918–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cross country literacy rates in Philippines is 98.47, 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, cross country literacy rates in Philippines peaked at 98.47 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.
Cross country literacy rates in Philippines, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 49.2 | — |
| 1939 | 48.8 | -0.8% |
| 1948 | 61.3 | +25.6% |
| 1950 | 62.5 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 83.32 | +33.3% |
| 1990 | 93.57 | +12.3% |
| 1994 | 93.92 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 92.6 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 92.59 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 95.42 | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 97.09 | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 96.4 | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 98.18 | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 96.28 | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 98.47 | +2.3% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 98.47 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.44, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 98.47 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.05, 1.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cross country literacy rates 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 | 83.32 |
| 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 | 83.32 | 83.32 | 83.32 | 1 |
| 1990s | 93.75 | 93.57 | 93.92 | 2 |
| 2000s | 93.54 | 92.59 | 95.42 | 3 |
| 2010s | 96.99 | 96.28 | 98.18 | 4 |
| 2020s | 98.47 | 98.47 | 98.47 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More education data for Philippines
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 87.25 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 88.36 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cross country literacy rates in Philippines?
- Cross country literacy rates in Philippines was 98.47 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cross country literacy rates recorded in Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 98.47 in 2020.
- What is the lowest cross country literacy rates recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.8 in 1939.
- How does Philippines rank for cross country literacy rates?
- Philippines ranks 25th out of 128 countries with data for 2020.
- Is cross country literacy rates 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Cross country literacy rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).