Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in East Asia & Pacific

East Asia & Pacific: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male was 91.2% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
91.2%
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
7th
of 37 groups
All-time high
91.2%
in 2019
All-time low
49.2%
in 1980
Years of data
44
1976–2019

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in East Asia & Pacific, 1976–2019

0204060801001976199720191976: 50.3 %1977: 50.3 %1978: 50.2 %1979: 50 %1980: 49.2 %1981: 50.3 %1982: 50.4 %1983: 50.4 %1984: 50.5 %1985: 50.6 %1986: 50.9 %1987: 52.3 %1988: 62.5 %1989: 62.6 %1990: 52.4 %1991: 62.9 %1992: 63 %1993: 63.3 %1994: 63.5 %1995: 63.7 %1996: 64.2 %1997: 75.4 %1998: 75.4 %1999: 75.3 %2000: 75.1 %2001: 75.2 %2002: 75.5 %2003: 76.1 %2004: 76.2 %2005: 76.5 %2006: 78.7 %2007: 82.9 %2008: 83.1 %2009: 84.4 %2010: 84.9 %2011: 85.4 %2012: 86.2 %2013: 86.4 %2014: 87.1 %2015: 88.4 %2016: 89.1 %2017: 89.8 %2018: 90.6 %2019: 91.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in East Asia & Pacific stood at 91.2%. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 91.2% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 49.2%, in 1980.

That places East Asia & Pacific 7th out of 37 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in East Asia & Pacific, year by year

Annual values for Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%) in East Asia & Pacific, 1976 to 2019.
Year % Change
1976 50.3%
1977 50.3% -0.0%
1978 50.2% -0.0%
1979 50.0% -0.5%
1980 49.2% -1.5%
1981 50.3% +2.1%
1982 50.4% +0.2%
1983 50.4% +0.1%
1984 50.5% +0.2%
1985 50.6% +0.2%
1986 50.9% +0.6%
1987 52.3% +2.7%
1988 62.5% +19.6%
1989 62.6% +0.2%
1990 52.4% -16.4%
1991 62.9% +20.1%
1992 63.0% +0.2%
1993 63.3% +0.6%
1994 63.5% +0.3%
1995 63.7% +0.3%
1996 64.2% +0.8%
1997 75.4% +17.4%
1998 75.4% +0.0%
1999 75.3% -0.1%
2000 75.1% -0.3%
2001 75.2% +0.2%
2002 75.5% +0.4%
2003 76.1% +0.8%
2004 76.2% +0.1%
2005 76.5% +0.5%
2006 78.7% +2.8%
2007 82.9% +5.3%
2008 83.1% +0.2%
2009 84.4% +1.7%
2010 84.9% +0.6%
2011 85.4% +0.5%
2012 86.2% +1.0%
2013 86.4% +0.3%
2014 87.1% +0.8%
2015 88.4% +1.4%
2016 89.1% +0.8%
2017 89.8% +0.9%
2018 90.6% +0.8%
2019 91.2% +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 50.2% 50.0% 50.3% 4
1980s 53.0% 49.2% 62.6% 10
1990s 65.9% 52.4% 75.4% 10
2000s 78.4% 75.1% 84.4% 10
2010s 87.9% 84.9% 91.2% 10

Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific

  1. 4 Tonga 99.1% compare
  2. 5 Republic of Moldova 98.8% compare
  3. 6 Azerbaijan 98.7% compare
  4. 7 Barbados 98.6% compare
  5. 8 Argentina 98.1% compare
  6. 9 Greece 97.7% compare
  7. 10 Uruguay 97.3% compare

See the full ranking of 121 places →

More reference data data for East Asia & Pacific

All data for East Asia & Pacific →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in East Asia & Pacific?
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in East Asia & Pacific was 91.2% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
The highest recorded value was 91.2% in 2019.
What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
The lowest recorded value was 49.2% in 1980.
How does East Asia & Pacific rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male?
East Asia & Pacific ranks 7th out of 37 groups with data for 2019.
Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this East Asia & Pacific data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male in East Asia & Pacific. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-literacy-rate-population-65-years-male-percent/east-asia-and-pacific/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 2,187 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of males age 65 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of male literates aged 65 years and over by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.