Literacy rates among adults in China
China: Literacy rates among adults was 96.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in China, 1982–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rates among adults in China is 96.7%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in China peaked at 96.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 65.5%, in 1982.
That places China 25th out of 89 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 65.5% | 65.5% | 65.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 77.8% | 77.8% | 77.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 90.9% | 90.9% | 90.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 95.1% | 95.1% | 95.1% | 1 |
| 2020s | 96.7% | 96.7% | 96.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.4% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 99.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 6.74 million (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.01 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in China?
- Literacy rates among adults in China was 96.7% in 2020, 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 96.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.5% in 1982.
- How does China rank for literacy rates among adults?
- China ranks 25th out of 89 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.