Literacy rates among adults in Nepal
Nepal: Literacy rates among adults was 68.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Nepal, 1981–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 68.7% for literacy rates among adults in 2019. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Nepal peaked at 68.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 20.6%, in 1981.
That places Nepal 74th out of 89 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.6% | 20.6% | 20.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 33.0% | 33.0% | 33.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 52.1% | 48.6% | 55.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 65.2% | 59.6% | 68.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 71 Nigeria 70.4% compare
- 72 Malawi 70.2% compare
- 73 East Timor 69.4% compare
- 75 Democratic Republic of Congo 68.5% compare
- 76 Morocco 64.3% compare
- 77 Mozambique 61.7% compare
More education data for Nepal
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 28.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 128.6% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers 157,456 (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.96 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 126.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Nepal?
- Literacy rates among adults in Nepal was 68.7% in 2019, 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 68.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.6% in 1981.
- How does Nepal rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Nepal ranks 74th out of 89 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.