China Literacy Rate
Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS
Overview
China's literacy rate stood at 96.74% in 2020, a rise of +1.62pp from 2010. China ranked 14th globally.
Data & projection
| Year | Literacy Rate | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 96.74% | +1.62pp | #14 |
| 2010 | 95.12% | +4.20pp | #11 |
| 2000 | 90.92% | +13.13pp | #15 |
| 1990 | 77.79% | +12.28pp | #13 |
| 1982 | 65.51% | – | #5 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
China matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 2013. Historically, 71% of countries showing this pattern (546 out of 768) saw literacy rate improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
China's literacy rate was 96.74% in 2020. Ranked 14th globally. This represents a 1.7% increase from the previous year.
China's literacy rate peaked at 96.74% in 2020.
The lowest literacy rate in China was 65.51% in 1982.
China ranks 14th globally in literacy rate as of 2020.
The World Bank indicator code is SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
The literacy rate of China in 2020 was 96.74%. This ranks 14th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_china_literacy-rate,
title = {China Literacy Rate},
url = {https://historysaid.com/china/literacy-rate},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}