The average for 2021 based on 13 countries was 86.52 percent. The highest value was in Uzbekistan: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 37 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2020, China had a youth literacy rate of about **** percent. In contrast, Afghanistan's youth literacy rate stood at **** percent in 2021.Indicators for the literacy rateAn indicator which can be seen to affect the literacy rate is the governmental effort in investing in education. The amount of funds invested into the education sector is a factor which can determine a country’s state of education, as the amount of money being spent on education would have an impact on resources, learning environment, and teaching quality. Singapore’s student-teacher ratio in primary education is significantly lower than that of South Asian countries. For instance, Nepal had 20.3 students for every teacher in 2019. Meanwhile, Singaporean teachers only had around **** students on average as of 2020. Notably, South Asia, together with sub-Saharan Africa, had a much higher illiteracy rate compared to the East Asian and Pacific region in 2022. The importance of literacyThe literacy rate indicates the percentage of people within a population who can read and write. This enables them to identify, understand and interpret materials with various contexts. Ensuring literacy for all pupils is a part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for quality education. This in turn stimulates economic and societal growth for the future.

The average for 2021 based on 4 countries was 97.11 percent. The highest value was in Singapore: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Cambodia: 90.31 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2020, the adult literacy rate in East and Southeast Asia amounted to 94.6 percent among women and 97.6 percent among men. In comparison, the youth literacy rate in the region was higher among both genders that year.

The average for 2021 based on 13 countries was 94.75 percent. The highest value was in Singapore: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 56 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2020, the adult literacy rate among the population above 15 years of age in Mongolia amounted to approximately **** percent, more than in any other country in the Asia-Pacific region. Comparatively, the adult literacy rate in Afghanistan amounted to approximately **** percent of the population aged 15 years and above in 2021.

East Asia & Pacific literacy rate for 2023 was 96.43%, a 0.13% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>East Asia & Pacific literacy rate for 2022 was <strong>96.30%</strong>, a <strong>0.14% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>East Asia & Pacific literacy rate for 2021 was <strong>96.16%</strong>, a <strong>0.14% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>East Asia & Pacific literacy rate for 2020 was <strong>96.03%</strong>, a <strong>0.22% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

In 2023, the illiteracy rate among adults aged 15 years and older was almost 32 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Asia, the illiteracy rate was 25 percent. Adult illiteracy rate is defined as the percentage of the population aged 15 and older who can not read or write. Even though illiteracy continues to persist around the world, illiteracy levels have been reduced significantly over the past decades.

South Asia literacy rate for 2023 was 75.01%, a 0.74% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>South Asia literacy rate for 2022 was <strong>74.27%</strong>, a <strong>0.79% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>South Asia literacy rate for 2021 was <strong>73.48%</strong>, a <strong>0.8% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>South Asia literacy rate for 2020 was <strong>72.68%</strong>, a <strong>0.72% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific was 96.67763 % of People Ages 15 and Above in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific reached a record high of 96.67763 in January of 2023 and a record low of 63.81468 in January of 1976. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Literacy Rate, Adult Total for South Asia was 75.00885 % of People Ages 15 and Above in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Literacy Rate, Adult Total for South Asia reached a record high of 75.00885 in January of 2023 and a record low of 36.24779 in January of 1975. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for South Asia - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

This statistic shows the illiteracy rate in China in 2023, by region. Illiterate population refers to the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are unable to read or have difficulty in reading. In 2023, the illiteracy rate in the Chinese Yunnan province had amounted to 6.14 percent. Illiteracy in China Literacy poses the basis for all other forms of education. Literacy skills are essential for the promotion of sustainable development, both in terms of economic progress and social advance. People with good literacy skills enjoy a better living standard and have better chances in the job market. In comparison with other countries in the Asia Pacific region, literacy in China is relatively high. China’s literacy rate has increased from 66 percent in 1982 to 97.2 percent in 2020. A distinctive gap between gender literacy existed as early as 1982, but gender differences in literacy had become less significant by 2020. This change had been facilitated by education reforms in China, namely mandatory free primary school education has helped to virtually eradicate illiteracy in China. As of 2017, 100 percent of primary-school-age children in China had been enrolled in school, making it one of the countries with the highest primary school enrollment rates worldwide. Regional disparities in literacy However, regional disparities in literacy rate still persist in China. Literacy in regions with a strong economic background tends to be higher than in underdeveloped regions. The literacy rate in Tibet had been at a staggering 29 percent compared with a national average of 3.4 percent in China.

Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia was 99.32569 % of People Ages 15 and Above in January of 2022, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia reached a record high of 99.32569 in January of 2022 and a record low of 93.99758 in January of 1983. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

In the past five decades, the global literacy rate among adults has grown from 67 percent in 1976 to 87.36 percent in 2023. In 1976, males had a literacy rate of 76 percent, compared to a rate of 58 percent among females. This difference of over 17 percent in 1976 has fallen to just seven percent in 2020. Although gaps in literacy rates have fallen across all regions in recent decades, significant disparities remain across much of South Asia and Africa, while the difference is below one percent in Europe and the Americas. Reasons for these differences are rooted in economic and cultural differences across the globe. In poorer societies, families with limited means are often more likely to invest in their sons' education, while their daughters take up a more domestic role. Varieties do exist on national levels, however, and female literacy levels can sometimes exceed the male rate even in impoverished nations, such as Lesotho (where the difference was over 17 percent in 2014); nonetheless, these are exceptions to the norm.

Singapore scored 631 out of a maximum of 800 points in the English Proficiency Index 2022, the highest score across the selected Asian countries and territories. In contrast, Thailand reached an English Proficiency Index score of 416 that year.

In 2024, the literacy rate was at approximately **** percent in Vietnam. Vietnam is among the countries with the highest adult literacy rate in the Asia Pacific.

literacy rate for 2022 was 98.54%, a 0.02% increase from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li> literacy rate for 2021 was <strong>98.52%</strong>, a <strong>0.02% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li> literacy rate for 2020 was <strong>98.50%</strong>, a <strong>0.07% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li> literacy rate for 2019 was <strong>98.43%</strong>, a <strong>0.04% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

Literacy in India has been increasing as more and more people receive a better education, but it is still far from all-encompassing. In 2022, the degree of literacy in India was about 76.32 percent, with the majority of literate Indians being men. It is estimated that the global literacy rate for people aged 15 and above is about 86 percent. How to read a literacy rateIn order to identify potential for intellectual and educational progress, the literacy rate of a country covers the level of education and skills acquired by a country’s inhabitants. Literacy is an important indicator of a country’s economic progress and the standard of living – it shows how many people have access to education. However, the standards to measure literacy cannot be universally applied. Measures to identify and define illiterate and literate inhabitants vary from country to country: In some, illiteracy is equated with no schooling at all, for example. Writings on the wallGlobally speaking, more men are able to read and write than women, and this disparity is also reflected in the literacy rate in India – with scarcity of schools and education in rural areas being one factor, and poverty another. Especially in rural areas, women and girls are often not given proper access to formal education, and even if they are, many drop out. Today, India is already being surpassed in this area by other emerging economies, like Brazil, China, and even by most other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. To catch up, India now has to offer more educational programs to its rural population, not only on how to read and write, but also on traditional gender roles and rights.

Across Asia, Malaysia had the highest internet adoption rate at around 97.7 percent, followed by South Korea. Worldwide, more than 65 percent of the population is using the internet. Compared to the rest of the world, internet penetration in Asia was still lower than the global average in the past few years. Southeast Asia is leading the way Southeast Asia had the highest internet penetration rates. In China, the internet penetration amounted to only around 78 percent. Nevertheless, in terms of head count, the country has the most internet users in the region with about 991 million. Among the ASEAN states, Indonesia and the Philippines had the biggest internet populations. Countries lagging behind South Asian countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan had low internet penetration rates, mainly due to high internet fees for fixed broadband and mobile networks in these countries. The low literacy rates were also a contributing factor.

Socio-demographic, maternal, and community level related characteristics of women’s accessing healthcare among women in LMICs (weighted n = 1,718,793).