Youth/adult literacy rate in Central and Southern Asia
Central and Southern Asia: Youth/adult literacy rate was 93.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Youth/adult literacy rate in Central and Southern Asia, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2024, youth/adult literacy rate in Central and Southern Asia stood at 93.7%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth/adult literacy rate in Central and Southern Asia peaked at 93.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 74.0%, in 2000.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Youth/adult literacy rate in Central and Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 74.0% | — |
| 2001 | 75.0% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 76.0% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 77.2% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 78.1% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 79.1% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 79.0% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 79.8% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 81.0% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 82.0% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 83.5% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 84.0% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 84.6% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 86.0% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 86.7% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 87.7% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 88.8% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 89.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 89.1% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 91.6% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 92.1% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 92.5% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 92.9% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 93.3% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 93.7% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 78.1% | 74.0% | 82.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.1% | 83.5% | 91.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.9% | 92.1% | 93.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Central and Southern Asia
More education data for Central and Southern Asia
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services 16.4% (2024)
- Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex 25.5% (2025)
- Adjusted gender parity index for participation rate in formal and 0.8759 (2024)
- Participation rate in formal and non-formal education and training 48.7% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to electricity, by education level 87.2% (2024)
- Adjusted gender parity index for completion rate, by location, wealth 1.02 (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to computers for pedagogical 56.0% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to basic drinking water, by 89.5% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to the internet for pedagogical 50.8% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with basic handwashing facilities, by education 90.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth/adult literacy rate in Central and Southern Asia?
- Youth/adult literacy rate in Central and Southern Asia was 93.7% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest youth/adult literacy rate recorded in Central and Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 93.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth/adult literacy rate recorded in Central and Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.0% in 2000.
- How does Central and Southern Asia rank for youth/adult literacy rate?
- Central and Southern Asia ranks 9th out of 18 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth/adult literacy rate rising or falling in Central and Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Central and Southern Asia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Youth/adult literacy rate (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).