Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 94.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Sri Lanka, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Sri Lanka stood at 94.3%. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Sri Lanka peaked at 94.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 80.3%, in 1981.
That places Sri Lanka 41st out of 88 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 80.3% | — |
| 2001 | 89.2% | +11.1% |
| 2006 | 89.9% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 89.7% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 90.8% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 92.7% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 92.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 92.7% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 92.1% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 92.4% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 92.9% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 93.3% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 93.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 93.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 93.6% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 94.3% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 80.3% | 80.3% | 80.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 89.6% | 89.2% | 89.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 92.3% | 90.8% | 92.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 93.6% | 93.3% | 94.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 777,541 (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -2.9 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0353 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 798,817 (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0362 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.4555 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 73,333 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 2.32 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Sri Lanka?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Sri Lanka was 94.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 94.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.3% in 1981.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 41st out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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