Literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries): Literacy rate, adult female was 95.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries), 1976–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) is 95.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 95.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 49.5%, in 1976.
East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 8th of 39 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 49.5% | — |
| 1977 | 49.7% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 51.2% | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 53.0% | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 54.6% | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 56.1% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 57.5% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 58.9% | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 60.3% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 61.7% | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 62.9% | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 64.4% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 70.2% | +9.0% |
| 1989 | 71.2% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 72.0% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 72.8% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 73.6% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 74.3% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 75.1% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 75.9% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 76.6% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 84.8% | +10.6% |
| 1998 | 85.3% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 85.7% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 86.2% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 86.7% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 87.2% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 87.8% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 88.2% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 88.7% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 89.2% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 90.9% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 91.3% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 91.8% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 91.9% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 92.2% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 92.5% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 92.7% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 93.3% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 93.5% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 93.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 94.1% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 94.2% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 94.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 94.7% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 94.9% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 95.5% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 50.9% | 49.5% | 53.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | 61.8% | 54.6% | 71.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.6% | 72.0% | 85.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.8% | 86.2% | 91.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.3% | 91.9% | 94.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.1% | 94.7% | 95.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
More gender data for East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Labor force, female 500.61 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.2364 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 0.3786 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 31.45 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 93.1% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 13.91 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 13.38 years (2019)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 11.1% (2025)
- Female migrants 40.4% (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) was 95.5% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 95.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.5% in 1976.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 8th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.