Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar

Myanmar: Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling was 93.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
93.5%
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
65th
of 128 countries
All-time high
95.8%
in 2018
All-time low
28.4%
in 1901
Years of data
12
1901–2020

Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar, 1901–2020

204060801001901196020201901: 28.4 %1911: 29.4 %1921: 35.7 %1931: 40.2 %1950: 57.5 %1983: 78.6 %2000: 89.9 %2014: 90.4 %2016: 84.8 %2018: 95.8 %2019: 89.1 %2020: 93.5 %

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar stood at 93.5%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar peaked at 95.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 28.4%, in 1901.

Myanmar ranks 65th of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar, 1901 to 2020.
Year % Change
1901 28.4% —
1911 29.4% +3.5%
1921 35.7% +21.4%
1931 40.2% +12.6%
1950 57.5% +43.0%
1983 78.6% +36.6%
2000 89.9% +14.5%
2014 90.4% +0.5%
2016 84.8% -6.2%
2018 95.8% +13.0%
2019 89.1% -7.0%
2020 93.5% +5.0%

Myanmar compared with similar countries

  • Myanmar's 93.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 79.0%, 1.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)
  • Myanmar's 93.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.0%, 97% of the median. (18 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 28.4% 28.4% 28.4% 1
1910s 29.4% 29.4% 29.4% 1
1920s 35.7% 35.7% 35.7% 1
1930s 40.2% 40.2% 40.2% 1
1950s 57.5% 57.5% 57.5% 1
1980s 78.6% 78.6% 78.6% 1
2000s 89.9% 89.9% 89.9% 1
2010s 90.0% 84.8% 95.8% 4
2020s 93.5% 93.5% 93.5% 1

Countries ranked near Myanmar

  1. 62 Mauritius 94.3% compare
  2. 63 Seychelles 94.0% compare
  3. 64 Greece 93.9% compare
  4. 66 Malta 93.3% compare
  5. 67 Suriname 92.9% compare
  6. 68 Sri Lanka 92.7% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More education data for Myanmar

All data for Myanmar →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar?
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar was 93.5% in 2020, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Myanmar?
The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2018.
What is the lowest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Myanmar?
The lowest recorded value was 28.4% in 1901.
How does Myanmar rank for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling?
Myanmar ranks 65th out of 128 countries with data for 2020.
Is literacy rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Myanmar?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Myanmar data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rates-vs-average-years-of-schooling/myanmar/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rates-vs-average-years-of-schooling/myanmar/">Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Myanmar</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,242 data points, 1475–2023
Last refreshed

Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.