Literacy rates among adults in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Literacy rates among adults was 79.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Bangladesh, 1981–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rates among adults in Bangladesh stood at 79.0%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 36.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Bangladesh peaked at 79.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 29.2%, in 1981.
That places Bangladesh 59th out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Literacy rates among adults in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 29.2% | — |
| 1991 | 35.3% | +20.8% |
| 2001 | 47.5% | +34.5% |
| 2011 | 58.8% | +23.8% |
| 2012 | 57.9% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 61.0% | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 61.1% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 65.1% | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 72.8% | +11.7% |
| 2017 | 72.9% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 73.9% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 74.7% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 74.9% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 76.4% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 79.0% | +3.5% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 79.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 78.2%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 79.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 79.0%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rates among adults in Bangladesh 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +34.5% | 35.3% | 47.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 29.2% | 29.2% | 29.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 35.3% | 35.3% | 35.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 47.5% | 47.5% | 47.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 66.5% | 57.9% | 74.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 76.8% | 74.9% | 79.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More education data for Bangladesh
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 571,690 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 387,056 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.73 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.77 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 16.69 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0961 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Bangladesh?
- Literacy rates among adults in Bangladesh was 79.0% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 79.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.2% in 1981.
- How does Bangladesh rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Bangladesh ranks 59th out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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 among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.