Literacy rates among adults in Tonga
Tonga: Literacy rates among adults was 99.5% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
99.5%
World rank
7th
of 89 countries
All-time high
99.6%
in 1976
All-time low
91.0%
in 2019
Years of data
7
1976–2023
Literacy rates among adults in Tonga, 1976–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Tonga recorded 99.5% for literacy rates among adults in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Tonga peaked at 99.6% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 91.0%, in 2019.
Tonga ranks 7th of 89 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 99.6% | 99.6% | 99.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 98.9% | 98.9% | 98.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 95.9% | 91.0% | 99.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 99.5% | 99.5% | 99.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More education data for Tonga
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 58.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 34.9% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 108.8% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 818 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.1 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 110.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Tonga?
- Literacy rates among adults in Tonga was 99.5% in 2023, 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 Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 99.6% in 1976.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 91.0% in 2019.
- How does Tonga rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Tonga ranks 7th out of 89 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Tonga 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.