Literacy rates among adults in Indonesia
Indonesia: Literacy rates among adults was 96.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Indonesia, 1980–2020
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 Indonesia is 96.0%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Indonesia peaked at 96.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 67.3%, in 1980.
Indonesia ranks 32nd of 89 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 67.3% | 67.3% | 67.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 81.5% | 81.5% | 81.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 91.8% | 90.4% | 92.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 94.4% | 92.3% | 95.7% | 6 |
| 2020s | 96.0% | 96.0% | 96.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Indonesia
More education data for Indonesia
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 5 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 100.4% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers 1.51 million (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.12 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Indonesia?
- Literacy rates among adults in Indonesia was 96.0% 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 Indonesia?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Indonesia?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.3% in 1980.
- How does Indonesia rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Indonesia ranks 32nd out of 89 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Indonesia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Indonesia 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 — 13 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.