Bangladesh vs Pakistan: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 79% in Bangladesh in 2022 and 58.9% in Pakistan in 2021, by UNESCO estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Bangladesh, by 17.5 percentage points, or 1.3 times that in Pakistan.
BangladeshPakistan
Watch it change on the map% of adults · UNESCO
Latest figures
% of adults · UNESCO
| Country | Latest | 10 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 79 2022 | 57.9 |
| Pakistan | 58.9 2021 | 54.7 |
| World | 87.7 2024 | 85.6 |
What the numbers say
- Bangladesh has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1981.
- The world as a whole: 87.2% in 2021.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Bangladesh | Pakistan | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 79 | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 76.4 | 58.9 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 74.9 | – | 87 |
| 2019 | 74.7 | 58 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 73.9 | 57 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 72.9 | 59.1 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 72.8 | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 65.1 | – | 86 |
| 2014 | 61.1 | 57 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | 61 | 55.6 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 57.9 | 56.8 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 58.8 | 54.7 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | 55.4 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | 54.9 | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | 55.5 | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | 52.1 | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | 54.2 | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | 49.9 | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | 47.5 | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | 42.7 | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | 35.3 | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | 29.2 | 25.7 | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time