Youth/adult literacy rate in Southern Asia
Southern Asia: Youth/adult literacy rate was 93.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
93.5%
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
10th
of 18 groups
All-time high
93.5%
in 2024
All-time low
73.0%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Youth/adult literacy rate in Southern Asia, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, youth/adult literacy rate in Southern Asia stood at 93.5%. 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 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, youth/adult literacy rate in Southern Asia peaked at 93.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 73.0%, in 2000.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Youth/adult literacy rate in Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 73.0% | — |
| 2001 | 74.0% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 75.1% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 76.3% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 77.3% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 78.2% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 78.1% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 79.0% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 80.3% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 81.3% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 82.8% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 83.4% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 84.0% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 85.5% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 86.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 87.3% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 88.4% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 88.9% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 88.7% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 91.3% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 91.8% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 92.3% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 92.6% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 93.1% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 93.5% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 77.3% | 73.0% | 81.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.7% | 82.8% | 91.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.7% | 91.8% | 93.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Asia
More education data for Southern Asia
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services 12.0% (2024)
- Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex 25.8% (2025)
- Adjusted gender parity index for participation rate in formal and 0.876 ratio (2024)
- Participation rate in formal and non-formal education and training 48.7% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to electricity, by education level 86.6% (2024)
- Adjusted gender parity index for completion rate, by location, wealth 1.02 ratio (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to computers for pedagogical 54.2% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to basic drinking water, by 89.1% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with access to the internet for pedagogical 49.2% (2024)
- Proportion of schools with basic handwashing facilities, by education 90.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is youth/adult literacy rate in Southern Asia?
- Youth/adult literacy rate in Southern Asia was 93.5% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest youth/adult literacy rate recorded in Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 93.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest youth/adult literacy rate recorded in Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.0% in 2000.
- How does Southern Asia rank for youth/adult literacy rate?
- Southern Asia ranks 10th out of 18 groups with data for 2024.
- Is youth/adult literacy rate rising or falling in Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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).