Indonesia vs Malaysia: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 96% in Indonesia in 2020 and 95.8% in Malaysia in 2022, by UNESCO estimates. In 2018 the value was higher in Indonesia, by 0.8 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in Malaysia.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

IndonesiaMalaysiaWorld

What the numbers say

Indonesia has been higher since 2016, when it overtook Malaysia.
The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2018.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Indonesia	Malaysia	World
2024	–	–	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	–	95.8	87.4
2021	–	–	87.2
2020	96	–	87
2019	–	95	86.8
2018	95.7	94.9	86.8
2017	–	95.1	86.5
2016	95.4	94.9	86.3
2015	95.2	–	86
2014	95.1	–	85.6
2013	–	–	85.2
2012	–	–	84.9
2011	92.8	–	84.7
2010	92.3	93.1	84.4
2009	92.6	–	83.8
2008	92.2	–	83.5
2007	–	–	83.1
2006	92	–	82.5
2005	–	–	82.6
2004	90.4	–	82.6
2003	–	–	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	81.4
2000	–	88.7	81.1
1999	–	–	80.9
1998	–	–	80.5
1997	–	–	79.3
1996	–	–	77.3
1995	–	–	76.9
1994	–	–	76.4
1993	–	–	76
1992	–	–	75.5
1991	–	82.9	75.1
1990	81.5	–	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	–	–	68.4
1980	67.3	69.5	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

Indonesia vs Malaysia: Adult literacy

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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