Literate and illiterate world population in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea: Literate and illiterate world population was 13.0% in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
13.0%
World rank
45th
of 128 countries
All-time high
92.5%
in 1950
All-time low
13.0%
in 2022
Years of data
5
1950–2022

Literate and illiterate world population in Papua New Guinea, 1950–2022

204060801001950198620221950: 92.5 %2000: 42.7 %2010: 31 %2017: 29.9 %2022: 13 %

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literate and illiterate world population in Papua New Guinea is 13.0%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

That represents a change of down 58.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Papua New Guinea peaked at 92.5% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 13.0%, in 2022.

Papua New Guinea ranks 45th of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 92.5% 92.5% 92.5% 1
2000s 42.7% 42.7% 42.7% 1
2010s 30.5% 29.9% 31.0% 2
2020s 13.0% 13.0% 13.0% 1

Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea

  1. 42 Guatemala 17.9% compare
  2. 43 Iraq 15.9% compare
  3. 44 Tunisia 13.8% compare
  4. 46 Nicaragua 12.7% compare
  5. 47 Sao Tome and Principe 12.6% compare
  6. 48 Namibia 12.4% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More population data for Papua New Guinea

All data for Papua New Guinea →

Frequently asked questions

What is literate and illiterate world population in Papua New Guinea?
Literate and illiterate world population in Papua New Guinea was 13.0% 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 Papua New Guinea?
The highest recorded value was 92.5% in 1950.
What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Papua New Guinea?
The lowest recorded value was 13.0% in 2022.
How does Papua New Guinea rank for literate and illiterate world population?
Papua New Guinea ranks 45th out of 128 countries with data for 2022.
Is literate and illiterate world population rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
Over the last ten years it is down 58.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.

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About this data

Indicator
Literate and illiterate world population
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed

Share of adults who cannot read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.