Literacy rates among adults in East Timor
East Timor: Literacy rates among adults was 69.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in East Timor, 2001–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rates among adults in East Timor stood at 69.4%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
The figure is up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in East Timor peaked at 69.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 37.6%, in 2001.
That places East Timor 73rd out of 89 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 44.1% | 37.6% | 50.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 62.8% | 58.3% | 65.8% | 3 |
| 2020s | 69.4% | 69.4% | 69.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More education data for East Timor
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 61.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 33.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 119.7% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 7,144 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.63 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 120.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in East Timor?
- Literacy rates among adults in East Timor was 69.4% 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 East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 69.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.6% in 2001.
- How does East Timor rank for literacy rates among adults?
- East Timor ranks 73rd out of 89 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Timor 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.