Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Asia
South Asia: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index was 0.7645 GPIA in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Asia, 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in GPIA.
Analysis
In 2019, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Asia stood at 0.7645 GPIA. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Asia peaked at 0.7645 GPIA in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.3659 GPIA, in 1975.
That places South Asia 31st out of 36 groups with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Asia, year by year
| Year | GPIA | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 0.3659 GPIA | — |
| 1976 | 0.366 GPIA | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.3736 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 0.3816 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 0.39 GPIA | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 0.3983 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 0.4118 GPIA | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 0.4151 GPIA | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 0.4234 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 0.4317 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.4404 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 0.4497 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 0.4599 GPIA | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 0.4711 GPIA | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 0.4785 GPIA | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 0.4858 GPIA | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 0.4988 GPIA | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.4978 GPIA | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 0.5024 GPIA | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 0.5084 GPIA | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 0.5152 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 0.523 GPIA | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 0.5325 GPIA | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 0.5711 GPIA | +7.2% |
| 1999 | 0.5785 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.586 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 0.6003 GPIA | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 0.6018 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.6061 GPIA | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.614 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 0.5983 GPIA | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.6107 GPIA | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 0.6135 GPIA | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 0.626 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 0.6352 GPIA | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 0.6833 GPIA | +7.6% |
| 2011 | 0.6968 GPIA | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 0.699 GPIA | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.7067 GPIA | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.7167 GPIA | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 0.7265 GPIA | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.7383 GPIA | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 0.7455 GPIA | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.7552 GPIA | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 0.7645 GPIA | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.3754 GPIA | 0.3659 GPIA | 0.39 GPIA | 5 |
| 1980s | 0.438 GPIA | 0.3983 GPIA | 0.4785 GPIA | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5213 GPIA | 0.4858 GPIA | 0.5785 GPIA | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6092 GPIA | 0.586 GPIA | 0.6352 GPIA | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7232 GPIA | 0.6833 GPIA | 0.7645 GPIA | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More reference data data for South Asia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 102.17 (2026)
- CPI Price, nominal 246.03 (2026)
- CPI Price, nominal, seas. adj. 247.05 (2026)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 16.19 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 33.83 million number (2019)
- School age population, one year before than official primary entry 17.64 million number (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes 5.02 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, male 5.06 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary, female 4.98 years (2019)
- Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in general 98.2% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Asia?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index in South Asia was 0.7645 GPIA in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7645 GPIA in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3659 GPIA in 1975.
- How does South Asia rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index?
- South Asia ranks 31st out of 36 groups with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, adjusted gender parity index (GPIA). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The Adjusted Gender Parity Index (GPIA) is calculated by dividing the female value for the indicator by the male value for the indicator. If the resulting value exceeds 1, the ratio is inverted and subtracted from 2. The adjusted gender parity index is symmetrical around 1 and lies in the range 0-2. An adjusted GPI equal to 1 indicates parity between females and males. In general, a value less than 1 indicates disparity in favor of males and a value greater than 1 indicates disparity in favor of females. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute for Statistics: http://uis.unesco.org/