Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in East Asia & Pacific

East Asia & Pacific: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male was 97.9% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
97.9%
Change on year
up 0.1%
Rank
8th
of 38 groups
All-time high
97.9%
in 2019
All-time low
73.8%
in 1976
Years of data
44
1976–2019

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in East Asia & Pacific, 1976–2019

0204060801001976199720191976: 73.8 %1977: 74 %1978: 75 %1979: 76.1 %1980: 76.9 %1981: 78 %1982: 80.6 %1983: 79.9 %1984: 80.8 %1985: 81.7 %1986: 82.6 %1987: 83.6 %1988: 86.5 %1989: 87.2 %1990: 88 %1991: 88.5 %1992: 89.2 %1993: 89.7 %1994: 90.3 %1995: 90.9 %1996: 91.4 %1997: 94.1 %1998: 94.4 %1999: 94.8 %2000: 95.7 %2001: 95.5 %2002: 95.8 %2003: 96 %2004: 96.3 %2005: 96.6 %2006: 96.7 %2007: 97 %2008: 97.2 %2009: 97.3 %2010: 97.3 %2011: 96.9 %2012: 97.1 %2013: 97.2 %2014: 97.5 %2015: 97.7 %2016: 97.7 %2017: 97.8 %2018: 97.8 %2019: 97.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in East Asia & Pacific is 97.9%, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 97.9% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 73.8%, in 1976.

That places East Asia & Pacific 8th out of 38 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.

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in East Asia & Pacific, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%) in East Asia & Pacific, 1976 to 2019.
Year % Change
1976 73.8%
1977 74.0% +0.2%
1978 75.0% +1.4%
1979 76.1% +1.4%
1980 76.9% +1.1%
1981 78.0% +1.5%
1982 80.6% +3.4%
1983 79.9% -0.9%
1984 80.8% +1.2%
1985 81.7% +1.1%
1986 82.6% +1.1%
1987 83.6% +1.2%
1988 86.5% +3.5%
1989 87.2% +0.8%
1990 88.0% +0.9%
1991 88.5% +0.6%
1992 89.2% +0.7%
1993 89.7% +0.6%
1994 90.3% +0.7%
1995 90.9% +0.7%
1996 91.4% +0.6%
1997 94.1% +2.9%
1998 94.4% +0.4%
1999 94.8% +0.4%
2000 95.7% +0.9%
2001 95.5% -0.2%
2002 95.8% +0.3%
2003 96.0% +0.2%
2004 96.3% +0.4%
2005 96.6% +0.3%
2006 96.7% +0.2%
2007 97.0% +0.3%
2008 97.2% +0.2%
2009 97.3% +0.1%
2010 97.3% +0.0%
2011 96.9% -0.3%
2012 97.1% +0.1%
2013 97.2% +0.1%
2014 97.5% +0.4%
2015 97.7% +0.2%
2016 97.7% +0.1%
2017 97.8% +0.1%
2018 97.8% +0.0%
2019 97.9% +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 74.7% 73.8% 76.1% 4
1980s 81.8% 76.9% 87.2% 10
1990s 91.1% 88.0% 94.8% 10
2000s 96.4% 95.5% 97.3% 10
2010s 97.5% 96.9% 97.9% 10

Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific

  1. 5 Republic of Moldova 99.7% compare
  2. 6 Montenegro 99.5% compare
  3. 7 Tonga 99.4% compare
  4. 8 Spain 99.3% compare
  5. 9 Türkiye 99.3% compare
  6. 10 Singapore 99.3% compare
  7. 11 Albania 99.2% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for East Asia & Pacific

All data for East Asia & Pacific →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in East Asia & Pacific?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in East Asia & Pacific was 97.9% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 2019.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
The lowest recorded value was 73.8% in 1976.
How does East Asia & Pacific rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
East Asia & Pacific ranks 8th out of 38 groups with data for 2019.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in East Asia & Pacific. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-male-percent/east-asia-and-pacific/

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About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,219 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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