Literacy rate, youth total in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Literacy rate, youth total was 99.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, youth total in East Asia & Pacific, 1976–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15-24.
Analysis
East Asia & Pacific recorded 99.1% for literacy rate, youth total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 99.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 84.1%, in 1976.
That places East Asia & Pacific 11th out of 40 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Literacy rate, youth total in East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 84.1% | — |
| 1977 | 84.3% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 85.4% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 86.6% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 87.7% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 88.7% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 89.4% | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 90.2% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 90.8% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 91.3% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 91.7% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 92.8% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 94.0% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 94.1% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 94.3% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 94.5% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 94.6% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 94.8% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 95.0% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 95.3% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 95.5% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 97.5% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 97.6% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 97.6% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 97.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 97.7% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 98.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 98.0% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 98.3% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 98.7% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 98.7% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 98.5% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.9% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 98.9% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85.1% | 84.1% | 86.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 91.1% | 87.7% | 94.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 95.7% | 94.3% | 97.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 98.1% | 97.7% | 98.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.8% | 98.5% | 99.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
- 8 Mauritius 99.8% compare
- 9 Macau, China 99.8% compare
- 10 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 99.8% compare
- 11 Philippines 99.8% compare
- 12 China 99.8% compare
- 13 Serbia 99.7% compare
- 14 Spain 99.7% compare
More education data for East Asia & Pacific
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 174.05 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 191.34 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4731 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0801 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 68.5% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 10.94 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 17.6% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, youth total in East Asia & Pacific?
- Literacy rate, youth total in East Asia & Pacific was 99.1% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 99.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.1% in 1976.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for literacy rate, youth total?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 11th out of 40 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.