Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female was 96.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female in Sri Lanka, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female in Sri Lanka is 96.1%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female in Sri Lanka peaked at 96.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 90.8%, in 1981.
That places Sri Lanka 29th out of 59 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 90.8% | — |
| 2001 | 92.4% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 92.6% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 91.6% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 92.9% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 94.5% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 94.6% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 93.5% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 94.7% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 95.5% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 95.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 94.7% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 94.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 96.1% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 90.8% | 90.8% | 90.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 92.2% | 91.6% | 92.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 94.1% | 92.9% | 94.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 95.3% | 94.7% | 96.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 27 Dominican Republic 96.5% compare
- 28 Kuwait 96.2% compare
- 30 Thailand 96.0% compare
- 31 South Africa 95.8% compare
- 32 Peru 95.7% compare
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0715 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female in Sri Lanka?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female in Sri Lanka was 96.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 96.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 90.8% in 1981.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 29th out of 59 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, 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, urban, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release