Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in Philippines
Philippines: Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita was 98.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in Philippines, 1980–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Philippines is 98.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Philippines peaked at 98.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 83.3%, in 1980.
That places Philippines 14th out of 89 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in Philippines, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 83.3% | — |
| 1990 | 93.6% | +12.3% |
| 1994 | 93.9% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 92.6% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 92.6% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 95.4% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 97.1% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 96.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 98.2% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 96.3% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 98.5% | +2.3% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 98.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.5%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 98.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.1%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 83.3% | 83.3% | 83.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 93.7% | 93.6% | 93.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 93.5% | 92.6% | 95.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 97.0% | 96.3% | 98.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 98.5% | 98.5% | 98.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More education data for Philippines
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 495,843 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 201,568 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.06 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 983,812 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 11.87 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 13.06 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.8345 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1128 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Philippines?
- Literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in Philippines was 98.5% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate vs. gdp per capita recorded in Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 98.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy rate vs. gdp per capita recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 83.3% in 1980.
- How does Philippines rank for literacy rate vs. gdp per capita?
- Philippines ranks 14th out of 89 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rate vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Philippines data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.