Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400)
ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400): Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 88.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400), 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) recorded 88.8% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) peaked at 88.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 52.9%, in 1975.
ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) ranks 73rd of 203 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.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 52.9% | — |
| 1976 | 53.1% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 53.5% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 54.5% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 55.4% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 56.3% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 57.2% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 58.2% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 59.2% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 60.3% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 61.1% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 62.0% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 62.8% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 65.6% | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 66.5% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 67.6% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 68.5% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 69.4% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 70.3% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 71.2% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 72.1% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 73.0% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 76.3% | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 78.5% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 79.2% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 79.8% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 80.2% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 80.7% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 81.2% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 81.7% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 81.7% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 81.9% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 82.5% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 83.1% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 83.5% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 84.4% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 84.5% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 84.6% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 85.0% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 85.5% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 86.2% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 86.8% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 87.0% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 87.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 86.9% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 87.3% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 87.7% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 88.1% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 88.4% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 88.8% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 53.9% | 52.9% | 55.4% | 5 |
| 1980s | 60.9% | 56.3% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.6% | 67.6% | 79.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.6% | 79.8% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.8% | 84.4% | 87.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.0% | 87.3% | 88.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400)
More education data for ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 90.6% (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 89.3% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female 187.37 million (2024)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational 9.4% (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male 203.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes 127.86 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes 18.70 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, female 116.03 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes 242.68 million (2024)
- School age population, upper secondary education, male 126.65 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400)?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) was 88.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400)?
- The highest recorded value was 88.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400)?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.9% in 1975.
- How does ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) ranks 73rd out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this ESCAP: All Countries (unsdcode:98400) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release