Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: South Asia
WB: South Asia: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 83.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
83.3%
Change on year
up 0.9%
Rank
117th
of 203 groups
All-time high
83.3%
in 2024
All-time low
47.3%
in 1976
Years of data
50
1975–2024
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: South Asia, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
WB: South Asia recorded 83.3% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: South Asia peaked at 83.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 47.3%, in 1976.
That places WB: South Asia 117th out of 203 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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, male in WB: South Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 47.4% | — |
| 1976 | 47.3% | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 48.1% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 48.9% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 49.6% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 50.4% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 51.2% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 52.0% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 52.8% | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 53.6% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 54.4% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 55.1% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 55.6% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 56.0% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 56.4% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 57.0% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 57.5% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 58.1% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 58.8% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 59.5% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 60.2% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 60.9% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 61.5% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 67.2% | +9.4% |
| 1999 | 67.8% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 68.3% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 68.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 69.6% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 70.2% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 71.0% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 70.8% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 71.0% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 71.7% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 72.4% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 73.1% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 74.4% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 75.0% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 74.6% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 75.7% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 76.2% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 77.8% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 79.1% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 79.6% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 80.2% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 79.0% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 79.9% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 80.8% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 81.8% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 82.6% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 83.3% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 48.3% | 47.3% | 49.6% | 5 |
| 1980s | 53.8% | 50.4% | 56.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.8% | 57.0% | 67.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 70.7% | 68.3% | 73.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.2% | 74.4% | 80.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.7% | 79.9% | 83.3% | 5 |
More education data for WB: South Asia
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -1.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 74.44 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5.84 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -2.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 152.88 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77.39 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 160.82 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 4.5 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: South Asia?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in WB: South Asia was 83.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in WB: South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 83.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in WB: South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.3% in 1976.
- How does WB: South Asia rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
- WB: South Asia ranks 117th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in WB: South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release