Literacy rate in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Literacy rate was 92.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate in Sri Lanka, 1901–2024
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 92.7% for literacy rate 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, literacy rate in Sri Lanka peaked at 92.7% 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.
Literacy rate in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 26.4% | — |
| 1911 | 31.0% | +17.4% |
| 1921 | 39.9% | +28.7% |
| 1946 | 57.8% | +44.9% |
| 1950 | 62.5% | +8.1% |
| 1981 | 86.8% | +38.8% |
| 2001 | 90.7% | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 90.8% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 90.6% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 91.2% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 92.5% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 92.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 92.4% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 91.9% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 91.7% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 92.2% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 92.4% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 92.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 92.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 92.7% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 92.7% | +0.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 92.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.4%, 97% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 92.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 78.6%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate 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% | 86.8% |
| 1921 | +28.7% | 31.0% | 39.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 26.4% | 26.4% | 26.4% | 1 |
| 1910s | 31.0% | 31.0% | 31.0% | 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 | 86.8% | 86.8% | 86.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.7% | 90.6% | 90.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 92.1% | 91.2% | 92.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 92.5% | 92.4% | 92.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Sri Lanka?
- Literacy rate in Sri Lanka was 92.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 92.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 1901.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for literacy rate?
- Sri Lanka ranks 68th out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate 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 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 — 21 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.