Literacy rate in Sri Lanka in 2024 — 92.74%. Ranked 18 in the world out of 29. Since 1981, the indicator has risen by 5.96 pp.
1981–2024 · % of population aged 15+
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Sri Lanka
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 92.74 | +0.08 pp |
| 2023 | 92.66 | +0.17 pp |
| 2022 | 92.49 | +0.06 pp |
| 2021 | 92.43 | +0.05 pp |
| 2020 | 92.38 | +0.13 pp |
| 2019 | 92.25 | +0.54 pp |
| 2018 | 91.71 | −0.19 pp |
| 2017 | 91.9 | −0.49 pp |
| 2016 | 92.39 | −0.16 pp |
| 2015 | 92.55 | +0.02 pp |
| 2014 | 92.53 | — |
| 2010 | 91.18 | — |
| 2008 | 90.56 | — |
| 2006 | 90.81 | — |
| 2001 | 90.68 | — |
| 1981 | 86.78 | — |
The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages
Sri Lanka
92.74
India
78.16
The share of the population aged 15 and older able to read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. The UNESCO definition is deliberately minimal — it is the threshold of functional literacy, not an assessment of the quality of education. In most countries the data come from censuses and surveys, so they are updated irregularly.
Important: The series is incomplete: values are published only for the years in which a census or a literacy survey was conducted.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), license CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.
What share of their potential a child born today will manage to realize.
Education Population with tertiary educationWhat share of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education Primary completion rateWhat share of children reach the last grade of primary school.
Education Primary school enrollmentThe net enrollment rate: the share of children of school age attending primary school.