Literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Literacy rate, adult female was 95.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific, 1976–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific stood at 95.3%. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure 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 peaked at 95.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 53.4%, in 1976.
East Asia & Pacific ranks 9th 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, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 53.4% | — |
| 1977 | 53.7% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 55.1% | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 56.6% | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 58.1% | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 59.5% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 60.7% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 61.9% | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 63.2% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 64.5% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 65.5% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 66.9% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 71.9% | +7.5% |
| 1989 | 72.8% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 73.6% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 74.3% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 75.0% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 75.7% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 76.4% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 77.1% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 77.7% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 84.9% | +9.2% |
| 1998 | 85.4% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 85.8% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 86.3% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 86.8% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 87.3% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 87.8% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 88.2% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 88.7% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 89.2% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 90.8% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 91.2% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 91.7% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 91.7% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 92.0% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 92.3% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 92.5% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 93.1% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 93.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 93.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 93.9% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 94.1% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 94.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 94.5% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 94.8% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 95.1% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 54.7% | 53.4% | 56.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 64.5% | 58.1% | 72.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.6% | 73.6% | 85.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.8% | 86.3% | 91.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.1% | 91.7% | 94.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.9% | 94.5% | 95.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
More gender data for East Asia & Pacific
- Labor force, female 572.12 million (2025)
- Labor force, female, per capita 0.2393 units per person (2025)
- Labor force, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Labor force, female, annual growth rate 0.3825 % change on previous year (2025)
- Labor force, female, per square kilometre 23.3 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 93.5% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 14 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 13.51 years (2019)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 14.6% (2025)
- Own-account workers, female (% of female employment) 22.0% (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific?
- Literacy rate, adult female in East Asia & Pacific was 95.3% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 95.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.4% in 1976.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 9th out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- 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 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.
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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.