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.

East Asia & Pacific literacy rate for 2021 was 96.04%, a 0.04% increase from 2020.

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

<li>East Asia & Pacific literacy rate for 2020 was <strong>96.00%</strong>, a <strong>0.29% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>East Asia & Pacific literacy rate for 2019 was <strong>95.71%</strong>, a <strong>0.4% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>East Asia & Pacific literacy rate for 2018 was <strong>95.31%</strong>, a <strong>0.1% increase</strong> from 2017.</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 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.

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.

The average for 2021 based on 4 countries was 90.41 percent. The highest value was in Singapore: 98 percent and the lowest value was in Cambodia: 71.93 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 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.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in South Asia was reported at 29.52 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific (SEADTLITRZSEAP) from 1976 to 2023 about East Asia, Pacific, literacy, adult, and rate.

Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) in South Asia was reported at 91.47 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

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.

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.

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in South Asia was reported at 75.01 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

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.

This statistic shows the bottom 20 countries in Asia in terms of literacy rates in 2015. Within the region, Papua New Guinea is the 2nd least literate country with a literacy rate of 66.68 percent.

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.

In 2020, the youth literacy rate in East and Southeast Asia amounted to 99 percent among both girls and boys. In comparison, the adult literacy rate in the region was lower for both genders that year.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%) in South Asia was reported at 44.07 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

This statistic shows the youth literacy rates in the Asia Pacific region in 2014, by country. In 2014, the youth literacy rate among the population aged between 15 and 24 in Afghanistan amounted to approximately 58.15 percent.

The data about women's literacy and children's mortality rate across 11 countries in Southeast Asia from 1991 to 2020