Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Literacy rates vs average years of schooling was 92.66 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Sri Lanka, 1901–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 92.66 for literacy rates vs average years of schooling in 2023. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Sri Lanka peaked at 92.66 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26.4, in 1901.
That places Sri Lanka 68th out of 128 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 26.4 | — |
| 1911 | 31 | +17.4% |
| 1921 | 39.9 | +28.7% |
| 1946 | 57.8 | +44.9% |
| 1950 | 62.5 | +8.1% |
| 1981 | 86.78 | +38.8% |
| 2001 | 90.68 | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 90.81 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 90.56 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 91.18 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 92.53 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 92.55 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 92.39 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 91.9 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 91.71 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 92.25 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 92.38 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 92.43 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 92.49 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 92.66 | +0.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 92.66 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.8, 97% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 92.66 is above the median for South Asia, which is 80.35, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | +44.9% | 39.9 | 57.8 |
| 1981 | +38.8% | 62.5 | 86.78 |
| 1921 | +28.7% | 31 | 39.9 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 26.4 | 26.4 | 26.4 | 1 |
| 1910s | 31 | 31 | 31 | 1 |
| 1920s | 39.9 | 39.9 | 39.9 | 1 |
| 1940s | 57.8 | 57.8 | 57.8 | 1 |
| 1950s | 62.5 | 62.5 | 62.5 | 1 |
| 1980s | 86.78 | 86.78 | 86.78 | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.68 | 90.56 | 90.81 | 3 |
| 2010s | 92.07 | 91.18 | 92.55 | 7 |
| 2020s | 92.49 | 92.38 | 92.66 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More education data for Sri Lanka
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 91.41 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 90.86 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 155,543 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 224,799 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.58 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.89 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Sri Lanka?
- Literacy rates vs average years of schooling in Sri Lanka was 92.66 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 92.66 in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rates vs average years of schooling recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.4 in 1901.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for literacy rates vs average years of schooling?
- Sri Lanka ranks 68th out of 128 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rates vs average years of schooling rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates vs average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).