Literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Literacy rates of older vs. younger population was 81.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Sri Lanka, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 81.4% for literacy rates of older vs. younger population in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Sri Lanka peaked at 82.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 69.9%, in 1981.
That places Sri Lanka 33rd out of 85 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 69.9% | — |
| 2001 | 76.9% | +10.0% |
| 2006 | 73.5% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 74.1% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 76.7% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 81.2% | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 82.2% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 81.0% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 80.3% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 79.1% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 81.2% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 80.9% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 81.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 81.3% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 82.4% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 81.4% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 69.9% | 69.9% | 69.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 74.8% | 73.5% | 76.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 80.2% | 76.7% | 82.2% | 7 |
| 2020s | 81.4% | 80.9% | 82.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.25 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.3876 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 439,099 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 1.72 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 358,218 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -5.98 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 64,434 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 8,899 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 222,100 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -5.62 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Sri Lanka?
- Literacy rates of older vs. younger population in Sri Lanka was 81.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates of older vs. younger population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 82.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rates of older vs. younger population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.9% in 1981.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for literacy rates of older vs. younger population?
- Sri Lanka ranks 33rd out of 85 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rates of older vs. younger population rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates of older vs. younger population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 65 years and older who can read and write.