Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries
UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 88.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries is 88.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries peaked at 88.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 27.4%, in 1976.
That places UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries 33rd out of 201 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 27.4% | — |
| 1977 | 27.4% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 27.5% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 27.6% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 27.8% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 28.0% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 28.2% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 28.4% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 28.6% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 28.8% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 29.0% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 30.7% | +5.7% |
| 1988 | 40.0% | +30.4% |
| 1989 | 40.1% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 40.3% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 40.4% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 40.5% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 41.0% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 41.2% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 41.4% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 41.9% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 58.6% | +40.0% |
| 1998 | 58.8% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 58.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 58.4% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 58.6% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 58.9% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 59.5% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 59.6% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 59.9% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 62.6% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 70.1% | +12.1% |
| 2008 | 70.2% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 72.3% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 73.5% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 74.9% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 76.2% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 76.8% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 78.5% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 79.4% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 80.8% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 83.2% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 84.2% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 85.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 86.1% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 86.8% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 87.5% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 88.2% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 88.9% | +0.7% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +40.0% | 41.9% | 58.6% |
| 1988 | +30.4% | 30.7% | 40.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 27.5% | 27.4% | 27.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 31.0% | 27.8% | 40.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.3% | 40.3% | 58.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.0% | 58.4% | 72.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.3% | 73.5% | 85.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.5% | 86.1% | 88.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries
- 30 Mauritius 82.3% compare
- 31 Palestine, State of 81.7% compare
- 32 Malaysia 81.7% compare
- 33 Sri Lanka 81.4% compare
- 34 Macau, China 81.2% compare
- 35 Myanmar 80.9% compare
- 36 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 80.7% compare
More education data for UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 76.53 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 84.59 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 41.16 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 42.74 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 83.90 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.97 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries →
Frequently asked questions
- What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries was 88.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries?
- The highest recorded value was 88.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.4% in 1976.
- How does UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries ranks 33rd out of 201 groups with data for 2024.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this UNICEF: East Asia and the Pacific Programme Countries 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 — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release