Indicator
Literacy rate
साक्षरता दर
Share of the population aged 5 and over who can read and write. The denominator is the 5-plus population, not the total population.
How it varies by province
2021. This is a rate: province values do not sum to the national figure.
View data table
| Place | नेपाली | Literacy rate |
|---|---|---|
| Bagmati | बागमती प्रदेश | 82.1% |
| Gandaki | गण्डकी प्रदेश | 81.7% |
| Koshi | कोशी प्रदेश | 79.7% |
| Lumbini | लुम्बिनी प्रदेश | 78.1% |
| Sudur Paschim | सुदूरपश्चिम प्रदेश | 76.2% |
| Karnali | कर्णाली प्रदेश | 76.1% |
| Madhesh | मधेश प्रदेश | 63.5% |
Largest districts
Top 15 of 77, 2021. Complete values in the download.
- Kathmandu89.2%
- Lalitpur88.1%
- Bhaktapur88.0%
- Kaski87.7%
- Chitawan83.7%
- Palpa83.7%
- Ilam83.4%
- Jhapa82.8%
- Surkhet82.7%
- Nawalparasi East82.4%
- Panchthar82.3%
- Taplejung82.2%
- Terhathum81.9%
- Syangja81.7%
- Tanahu81.6%
View data table
| Place | नेपाली | Literacy rate |
|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu | — | 89.2% |
| Lalitpur | — | 88.1% |
| Bhaktapur | — | 88.0% |
| Kaski | — | 87.7% |
| Chitawan | — | 83.7% |
| Palpa | — | 83.7% |
| Ilam | — | 83.4% |
| Jhapa | — | 82.8% |
| Surkhet | — | 82.7% |
| Nawalparasi East | — | 82.4% |
| Panchthar | — | 82.3% |
| Taplejung | — | 82.2% |
| Terhathum | — | 81.9% |
| Syangja | — | 81.7% |
| Tanahu | — | 81.6% |
Notes on interpretation
A rate. Never sum or unweighted-average across places; recompute from the counts.
Related indicators
In Education.
Sources & methodology
United Nations Population Fund (2023) · National Statistics Office (2021) · World Bank (1960-2024)
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