UCLA Center for East Asian Studies 
Literacy in Asia
 
Nation/Region Est. adult (15+) illiteracy   
rate (%), 1995		 Illiteracy rate (%)
... Men Women Year Ages 15-24 Over 25
Men Women Men Women
East Asia ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
China
10.1
27.3
1990
3.1
8.5
17.2
42.0
Hong Kong
4.0 
11.8
...
...
...
...
...
Macau
...
...
1981 
4.9
5.8
8.2
20.3
Japan
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Mongolia
11.4
22.8
...
...
...
...
...
North Korea
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
South Korea
0.7
3.3
...
...
...
...
...
Southeast Asia ... ... ...... ... ... ... ...
Indonesia 
10.4
22.0
1990
2.6
4.9
15.8
33.5
Laos
30.6
55.6
...
...
...
...
...
Malaysia1 
10.9
21.9
1980
10.2
16.8
30.2
62.2
Myanmar (Burma)
11.3
22.3
1983
11.4
18.6
15.6
33.3
Papua New Guinea2 
19.0
37.3
1980
44.0
60.0
84.0
92.0
Philippines 
5.0
5.7
1990
3.7
3.1
7.2
8.7
Singapore 
4.1
13.7
1990
1.1
0.9
6.0
21.4
Thailand 
4.0
8.4
1990
1.5
2.0
5.6
11.5
Viet Nam 
3.5
8.8
1989
6.8
7.4
8.3
22.5
South Asia ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Bangladesh
50.6
73.9
1981
55.4
72.8
62.5
86.6
Bhutan
43.8
71.9
...
...
...
...
...
India
34.5 
62.3
1981 
33.7
59.7
50.2
80.6
Nepal
59.1 
86.0
1981
54.9
85.1
74.0
93.4
Pakistan
50.0 
75.6
1981
54.6
75.1
68.3
89.2
  Sri Lanka
6.6 
12.8
1981
8.1
9.8
9.0
22.0
 1Malaysia’s 1980 estimates are for ages 15-29 and over 30.
 2Papua New Guinea’s 1980 estimates are based on a definition of illiteracy as lacking 4 years of schooling.

"Illiteracy" defined:
"The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recommends defining an illiterate person as someone who can not, with understanding, both read and write a short, simple statement on his or her everyday life. A person who can only read but not write, or can write but not read is considered to be illiterate. A person who can only write figures, his or her name or a memorized ritual phrase is also not considered literate."

Sources:
Data culled from United Nations Statistics Division report: <http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/social/literacy.htm>. This report includes the following information on the sources of the estimates:
"For estimates of adult illiteracy, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Education Report 1995 (Oxford, UNESCO Publishing, 1995); for illiteracy rate among persons aged 15-24 and 25+, prepared by the Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat from UNESCO, Statistical Yearbook 1996 (Paris, 1996) and Compendium of Statistics on Illiteracy, 1995 edition (Paris, 1995), and Women's Indicators and Statistics Database (Wistat), Version 3, CD-ROM (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XVII.6)."

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