Literacy rate, adult total in Vietnam

Vietnam: Literacy rate, adult total was 96.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
96.1%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
31st
of 89 countries
All-time high
96.1%
in 2022
All-time low
83.8%
in 1979
Years of data
7
1979–2022

Literacy rate, adult total in Vietnam, 1979–2022

0204060801001979200020221979: 83.8 % of people ages 15 and above1989: 87.6 % of people ages 15 and above1999: 90.3 % of people ages 15 and above2000: 90.2 % of people ages 15 and above2009: 93.5 % of people ages 15 and above2019: 95.8 % of people ages 15 and above2022: 96.1 % of people ages 15 and above

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult total in Vietnam is 96.1%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Vietnam peaked at 96.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 83.8%, in 1979.

That places Vietnam 31st out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

Literacy rate, adult total in Vietnam, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in Vietnam, 1979 to 2022.
Year % of people ages 15 and above Change
1979 83.8%
1989 87.6% +4.5%
1999 90.3% +3.1%
2000 90.2% -0.1%
2009 93.5% +3.7%
2019 95.8% +2.4%
2022 96.1% +0.4%

Vietnam compared with similar countries

  • Vietnam's 96.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.5%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
  • Vietnam's 96.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.1%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 83.8% 83.8% 83.8% 1
1980s 87.6% 87.6% 87.6% 1
1990s 90.3% 90.3% 90.3% 1
2000s 91.8% 90.2% 93.5% 2
2010s 95.8% 95.8% 95.8% 1
2020s 96.1% 96.1% 96.1% 1

Countries ranked near Vietnam

  1. 28 Kuwait 96.5% compare
  2. 29 Chile 96.4% compare
  3. 30 Panama 96.2% compare
  4. 32 Indonesia 96.0% compare
  5. 33 Malaysia 95.8% compare
  6. 34 Mexico 95.5% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More education data for Vietnam

All data for Vietnam →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, adult total in Vietnam?
Literacy rate, adult total in Vietnam was 96.1% in 2022, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Vietnam?
The highest recorded value was 96.1% in 2022.
What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Vietnam?
The lowest recorded value was 83.8% in 1979.
How does Vietnam rank for literacy rate, adult total?
Vietnam ranks 31st out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Vietnam?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Vietnam 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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Literacy rate, adult total in Vietnam. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-adult-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-and-above/viet-nam/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)
Unit
% of people ages 15 and above
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
128 places, 2,592 data points, 1973–2024
Last refreshed

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.