Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Philippines

Philippines: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 98.2% in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
98.2%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
17th
of 83 countries
All-time high
98.2%
in 2015
All-time low
81.5%
in 1980
Years of data
8
1980–2015

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Philippines, 1980–2015

0204060801001980199720151980: 81.5 %1990: 93.6 %1994: 92.8 %2000: 92.7 %2003: 91.4 %2008: 95.2 %2013: 96.3 %2015: 98.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Philippines recorded 98.2% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in 2015. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Philippines peaked at 98.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 81.5%, in 1980.

That places Philippines 17th out of 83 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 81.5% 81.5% 81.5% 1
1990s 93.2% 92.8% 93.6% 2
2000s 93.1% 91.4% 95.2% 3
2010s 97.2% 96.3% 98.2% 2

Countries ranked near Philippines

  1. 14 Portugal 98.6% compare
  2. 15 China (People’s Republic of) 98.4% compare
  3. 16 Jordan 98.4% compare
  4. 18 Maldives 98.2% compare
  5. 19 Brunei Darussalam 98.1% compare
  6. 20 Bahrain, Kingdom of 98.1% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Philippines

All data for Philippines →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Philippines?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Philippines was 98.2% in 2015, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Philippines?
The highest recorded value was 98.2% in 2015.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Philippines?
The lowest recorded value was 81.5% in 1980.
How does Philippines rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
Philippines ranks 17th out of 83 countries with data for 2015.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Philippines?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Philippines data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Philippines. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-both-sexes-percent/philippines/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-both-sexes-percent/philippines/">Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Philippines</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,220 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the population between age 25 and age 64 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 literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.