Literacy rate, youth total in Maldives

Maldives: Literacy rate, youth total was 98.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
98.7%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
38th
of 95 countries
All-time high
99.3%
in 2006
All-time low
85.6%
in 1977
Years of data
10
1977–2019

Literacy rate, youth total in Maldives, 1977–2019

0204060801001977199820191977: 85.6 % of people ages 15-241985: 95.5 % of people ages 15-241990: 98.2 % of people ages 15-241995: 98.2 % of people ages 15-242000: 98.2 % of people ages 15-242006: 99.3 % of people ages 15-242014: 99.3 % of people ages 15-242016: 98.8 % of people ages 15-242017: 98.1 % of people ages 15-242019: 98.7 % of people ages 15-24

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15-24.

Analysis

In 2019, literacy rate, youth total in Maldives stood at 98.7%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, youth total in Maldives peaked at 99.3% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 85.6%, in 1977.

Maldives ranks 38th of 95 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.

Literacy rate, youth total in Maldives, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) in Maldives, 1977 to 2019.
Year % of people ages 15-24 Change
1977 85.6%
1985 95.5% +11.6%
1990 98.2% +2.8%
1995 98.2% -0.0%
2000 98.2% +0.0%
2006 99.3% +1.2%
2014 99.3% -0.0%
2016 98.8% -0.5%
2017 98.1% -0.6%
2019 98.7% +0.6%

Maldives compared with similar countries

  • Maldives's 98.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.9%, 100% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • Maldives's 98.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 97.3%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 85.6% 85.6% 85.6% 1
1980s 95.5% 95.5% 95.5% 1
1990s 98.2% 98.2% 98.2% 2
2000s 98.7% 98.2% 99.3% 2
2010s 98.7% 98.1% 99.3% 4

Countries ranked near Maldives

  1. 35 Tajikistan 98.8% compare
  2. 36 Malaysia 98.8% compare
  3. 37 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 98.7% compare
  4. 39 Iran, Islamic Republic of 98.7% compare
  5. 40 Qatar 98.7% compare
  6. 41 Jordan 98.7% compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More education data for Maldives

All data for Maldives →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, youth total in Maldives?
Literacy rate, youth total in Maldives was 98.7% in 2019, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Maldives?
The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 2006.
What is the lowest literacy rate, youth total recorded in Maldives?
The lowest recorded value was 85.6% in 1977.
How does Maldives rank for literacy rate, youth total?
Maldives ranks 38th out of 95 countries with data for 2019.
Is literacy rate, youth total rising or falling in Maldives?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Maldives 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.

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Literacy rate, youth total in Maldives. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-youth-total-percent-of-people-ages-15-24/maldives/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)
Unit
% of people ages 15-24
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
135 places, 2,762 data points, 1974–2024
Last refreshed

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.