Literate and illiterate world population in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Literate and illiterate world population was 21.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Literate and illiterate world population in Bangladesh, 1981–2022
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 21.0% for literate and illiterate world population in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is down 11.2% on the previous year and down 50.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Bangladesh peaked at 70.8% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 21.0%, in 2022.
That places Bangladesh 40th out of 128 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 70.8% | 70.8% | 70.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 64.7% | 64.7% | 64.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 52.5% | 52.5% | 52.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 33.5% | 25.3% | 42.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 23.2% | 21.0% | 25.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More population data for Bangladesh
- Population growth rate 1.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literate and illiterate world population in Bangladesh?
- Literate and illiterate world population in Bangladesh was 21.0% in 2022, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 70.8% in 1981.
- What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.0% in 2022.
- How does Bangladesh rank for literate and illiterate world population?
- Bangladesh ranks 40th out of 128 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literate and illiterate world population rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who cannot read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.