Literacy rate, adult total in Maldives
Maldives: Literacy rate, adult total was 98.2% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Maldives, 1977–2019
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
Maldives recorded 98.2% for literacy rate, adult total in 2019.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Maldives peaked at 98.6% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 82.3%, in 1977.
Maldives ranks 14th of 89 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Maldives, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 82.3% | — |
| 1985 | 92.2% | +12.1% |
| 1990 | 96.0% | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 96.3% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 96.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 98.4% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 98.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 97.7% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 94.5% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 98.2% | +3.9% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 98.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.5%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 98.2% is above the median for South Asia, which is 79.0%, 1.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 82.3% | 82.3% | 82.3% | 1 |
| 1980s | 92.2% | 92.2% | 92.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 96.2% | 96.0% | 96.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 97.4% | 96.3% | 98.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 97.3% | 94.5% | 98.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
- 11 Mongolia 98.6% compare
- 12 Montenegro 98.5% compare
- 13 Philippines 98.5% compare
- 15 Samoa 98.0% compare
- 16 Palestine, State of 97.9% compare
- 17 Saudi Arabia 97.9% compare
More education data for Maldives
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3,474 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 8,838 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 4,920 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 33,002 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 44,013 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -3.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0834 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Maldives?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Maldives was 98.2% in 2019, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 98.6% in 2014.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.3% in 1977.
- How does Maldives rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Maldives ranks 14th out of 89 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Maldives data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.