Malaysia vs Philippines: Adult literacy

Adult literacy: 95.8% in Malaysia in 2022 and 98.5% in Philippines in 2020, by UNESCO estimates. In 2019 the value was higher in Philippines, by 1.3 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in Malaysia.

Watch it change on the map

% of adults · UNESCO

MalaysiaPhilippinesWorld

What the numbers say

Philippines has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1980.
The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2019.

Every year

% of adults · UNESCO

Year	Malaysia	Philippines	World
2024	–	–	87.7
2023	–	–	87.6
2022	95.8	–	87.4
2021	–	–	87.2
2020	–	98.5	87
2019	95	96.3	86.8
2018	94.9	–	86.8
2017	95.1	–	86.5
2016	94.9	–	86.3
2015	–	98.2	86
2014	–	–	85.6
2013	–	96.4	85.2
2012	–	–	84.9
2011	–	–	84.7
2010	93.1	97.1	84.4
2009	–	–	83.8
2008	–	95.4	83.5
2007	–	–	83.1
2006	–	–	82.5
2005	–	–	82.6
2004	–	–	82.6
2003	–	92.6	82.2
2002	–	–	81.7
2001	–	–	81.4
2000	88.7	92.6	81.1
1999	–	–	80.9
1998	–	–	80.5
1997	–	–	79.3
1996	–	–	77.3
1995	–	–	76.9
1994	–	93.9	76.4
1993	–	–	76
1992	–	–	75.5
1991	82.9	–	75.1
1990	–	93.6	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	69.5	83.3	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

Malaysia vs Philippines: Adult literacy

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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