Cross country literacy rates in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Cross country literacy rates was 92.74 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cross country literacy rates in Sri Lanka, 1901–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 92.74 for cross country literacy rates in 2024. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cross country literacy rates in Sri Lanka peaked at 92.74 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 26.4, in 1901.
That places Sri Lanka 68th out of 128 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Cross country literacy rates in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 26.4 | — |
| 1911 | 31 | +17.4% |
| 1921 | 39.9 | +28.7% |
| 1946 | 57.8 | +44.9% |
| 1950 | 62.5 | +8.1% |
| 1981 | 86.78 | +38.8% |
| 2001 | 90.68 | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 90.81 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 90.56 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 91.18 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 92.53 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 92.55 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 92.39 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 91.9 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 91.71 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 92.25 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 92.38 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 92.43 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 92.49 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 92.66 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 92.74 | +0.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 92.74 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.44, 97% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 92.74 is above the median for South Asia, which is 78.58, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cross country literacy rates in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | +44.9% | 39.9 | 57.8 |
| 1981 | +38.8% | 62.5 | 86.78 |
| 1921 | +28.7% | 31 | 39.9 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 26.4 | 26.4 | 26.4 | 1 |
| 1910s | 31 | 31 | 31 | 1 |
| 1920s | 39.9 | 39.9 | 39.9 | 1 |
| 1940s | 57.8 | 57.8 | 57.8 | 1 |
| 1950s | 62.5 | 62.5 | 62.5 | 1 |
| 1980s | 86.78 | 86.78 | 86.78 | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.68 | 90.56 | 90.81 | 3 |
| 2010s | 92.07 | 91.18 | 92.55 | 7 |
| 2020s | 92.54 | 92.38 | 92.74 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 91.41 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 90.86 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cross country literacy rates in Sri Lanka?
- Cross country literacy rates in Sri Lanka was 92.74 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cross country literacy rates recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 92.74 in 2024.
- What is the lowest cross country literacy rates recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4 in 1901.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for cross country literacy rates?
- Sri Lanka ranks 68th out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cross country literacy rates rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).