Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) in China
China: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) was 97.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in China, 1982–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 97.7% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in 2020. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in China peaked at 97.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 44.7%, in 1982.
That places China 20th out of 88 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 44.7% | — |
| 1990 | 65.0% | +45.3% |
| 2000 | 90.6% | +39.4% |
| 2010 | 95.6% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 97.7% | +2.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 97.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.3%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- China's 97.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.9%, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.7% | 44.7% | 44.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 65.0% | 65.0% | 65.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.6% | 90.6% | 90.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 95.6% | 95.6% | 95.6% | 1 |
| 2020s | 97.7% | 97.7% | 97.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.41 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 7,020 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.36 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 97.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 108.57 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9587 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0771 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in China?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in China was 97.7% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 97.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.7% in 1982.
- How does China rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- China ranks 20th out of 88 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release