Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia
MDG: Eastern Asia: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 98.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
98.9%
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
29th
of 203 groups
All-time high
98.9%
in 2024
All-time low
56.2%
in 1977
Years of data
49
1976–2024
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia stood at 98.9%. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia peaked at 98.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 56.2%, in 1977.
That places MDG: Eastern Asia 29th out of 203 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.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 56.3% | — |
| 1977 | 56.2% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 57.6% | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 58.9% | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 60.1% | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 61.5% | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 62.7% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 64.1% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 65.4% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 66.5% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 67.7% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 68.8% | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 75.3% | +9.5% |
| 1989 | 76.7% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 78.0% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 79.2% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 80.3% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 81.3% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 82.4% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 83.4% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 84.4% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 91.5% | +8.4% |
| 1998 | 92.1% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 92.7% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 93.3% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 93.8% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 94.3% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 94.8% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 95.3% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 95.8% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 96.0% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 96.6% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 96.8% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 97.0% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 97.2% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 97.4% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 97.9% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 98.0% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 98.2% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 98.1% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.2% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.2% | 56.2% | 58.9% | 4 |
| 1980s | 66.9% | 60.1% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 84.5% | 78.0% | 92.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 95.4% | 93.3% | 97.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 97.9% | 97.2% | 98.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.7% | 98.5% | 98.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near MDG: Eastern Asia
- 26 Macau, China 98.0% compare
- 27 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 97.8% compare
- 28 Saudi Arabia 97.7% compare
- 29 Panama 97.0% compare
- 30 Indonesia 97.0% compare
- 31 Malaysia 96.7% compare
- 32 Kuwait 96.7% compare
More education data for MDG: Eastern Asia
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 53.41 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.2925 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 2.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 103.27 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 0.6211 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 60.05 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.25 % change on previous year (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,711 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 22.52 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in MDG: Eastern Asia was 98.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Eastern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 98.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in MDG: Eastern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.2% in 1977.
- How does MDG: Eastern Asia rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- MDG: Eastern Asia ranks 29th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in MDG: Eastern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this MDG: Eastern Asia 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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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