Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Nepal
Nepal: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 54.2% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Nepal, 1981–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Nepal stood at 54.2%. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% on the previous year and up 75.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Nepal peaked at 54.2% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 1981.
Nepal ranks 73rd of 88 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 6.8% | — |
| 1991 | 10.6% | +55.6% |
| 2001 | 24.6% | +132.4% |
| 2008 | 30.9% | +25.7% |
| 2011 | 38.5% | +24.6% |
| 2016 | 49.8% | +29.4% |
| 2017 | 50.1% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 54.2% | +8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.8% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.6% | 10.6% | 10.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 27.7% | 24.6% | 30.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 48.1% | 38.5% | 54.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 157,456 (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 28.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Nepal?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Nepal was 54.2% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 54.2% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 1981.
- How does Nepal rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- Nepal ranks 73rd out of 88 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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