Papua New Guinea Youth Literacy Rate
Literacy rate among youth ages 15-24 SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS
Papua New Guinea's youth literacy rate was 94.16% in 2025, ranked 49th globally. This represents a 2.4% increase from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 2000–2025.
Overview
Papua New Guinea's youth literacy rate stood at 94.16% in 2025, a rise of +2.24pp from 2022. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 94.16% by 2025. Papua New Guinea ranked 49th globally.
Papua New Guinea's youth literacy rate has shown substantial improvement over the past two decades, rising from a trough of 66.68% in 2000 to a record high of 94.16% in 2025, according to World Bank data. This upward trajectory reflects progress in educational access and retention, particularly among younger demographics. The latest rate positions Papua New Guinea at 49th globally, placing it in close proximity to peer nations such as Lao PDR, which recorded a rate of 93.38%, and Indonesia at 93.07%. Despite this progress, challenges persist in reaching parity with higher-performing countries and ensuring consistent quality in education across rural and urban regions. The significant 27.48 percentage point increase over 25 years underscores long-term gains, though the concentration of data within a five-year coverage window suggests limited recent monitoring frequency. Continued investment in teacher training, infrastructure, and gender-inclusive policies will be critical to sustaining momentum. Should these efforts be reinforced, the country is likely to see further gradual improvements in youth literacy in the coming decade.
Data & projection
| Year | Youth Literacy Rate | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025* trend | 94.16% | - | - |
| 2025 | 94.16% | +2.24pp | #49 |
| 2022 | 91.92% | +9.20pp | #45 |
| 2017 | 82.72% | +1.55pp | #42 |
| 2010 | 81.17% | +14.49pp | #41 |
| 2000 | 66.68% | – | #47 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Papua New Guinea matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 2022. Historically, 71% of countries showing this pattern (546 out of 768) saw youth literacy rate improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Papua New Guinea's youth literacy rate was 94.16% in 2025. Ranked 49th globally. This represents a 2.4% increase from the previous year.
Papua New Guinea's youth literacy rate peaked at 94.16% in 2025.
The lowest youth literacy rate in Papua New Guinea was 66.68% in 2000.
Papua New Guinea ranks 49th globally in youth literacy rate as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Papua New Guinea's youth literacy rate is projected to reach 94.16% by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The youth literacy rate of Papua New Guinea in 2025 was 94.16%. This ranks 49th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_papua-new-guinea_youth-literacy-rate,
title = {Papua New Guinea Youth Literacy Rate},
url = {https://historysaid.com/papua-new-guinea/youth-literacy-rate/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}