Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)
ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420): Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 46.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420), 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) recorded 46.4% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) peaked at 46.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 20.9%, in 1980.
ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) ranks 120th of 201 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 21.2% | — |
| 1976 | 21.2% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 21.2% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 21.3% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 21.0% | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 20.9% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 21.0% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 21.1% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 21.2% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 21.5% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 21.4% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 21.5% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 22.3% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 25.4% | +13.8% |
| 1989 | 25.9% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 26.2% | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 26.4% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 26.4% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 26.4% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 26.4% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 26.4% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 26.6% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 27.0% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 33.0% | +22.1% |
| 1999 | 33.3% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 34.0% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 34.2% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 34.3% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 34.4% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 34.4% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 33.4% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 33.2% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 33.6% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 34.5% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 39.4% | +14.2% |
| 2011 | 40.0% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 40.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 40.6% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 41.2% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 42.1% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 43.5% | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 44.0% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 45.3% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 43.2% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 43.9% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 44.6% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 45.5% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 46.0% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 46.4% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 21.2% | 21.0% | 21.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 22.2% | 20.9% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.8% | 26.2% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.0% | 33.2% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.9% | 39.4% | 45.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.3% | 43.9% | 46.4% | 5 |
More education data for ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.5261 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 100.71 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.1925 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 93.84 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.01 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 108.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 3.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 4.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.19 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) was 46.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)?
- The highest recorded value was 46.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.9% in 1980.
- How does ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) ranks 120th out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCAP: South and South-west Asia (sswa) (unsdcode:98420) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release