Topic
Education
शिक्षा
Literacy, schooling and educational attainment.
Nepal: literacy rate
2021 census.
76.2%
Share of the population aged 5 and over who can read and write. The denominator is the 5-plus population, not the total population.
By sex
| Female | 69.4% | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 83.6% |
Categories the census reports, which together account for everyone counted.
26,725,295 people aged 5 and over. Shares of that total; counts are in the table.
View the numbers
| Category | People |
|---|---|
| Can read and write | 20,377,980 |
| Can read only | 114,331 |
| Cannot read or write | 6,223,061 |
| Not stated | 9,923 |
How it differs across Nepal
Every district, 2021. Select a district to open it.
Hover or focus an area for its value.
Literacy rate · not additive across places · five classes, each holding about 15 of 77 areas. 77 districts.
View all 77 values
| Area | 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% |
| Dang | 81.4% |
| Dhankuta | 81.4% |
| Rupandehi | 81.2% |
| Gulmi | 80.3% |
| Pyuthan | 80.1% |
| Parbat | 80.1% |
| Arghakhanchi | 80.0% |
| Baglung | 80.0% |
| Sankhuwasabha | 79.7% |
| Myagdi | 79.7% |
| Kanchanpur | 79.6% |
| Bhojpur | 78.9% |
| Morang | 78.6% |
| Manang | 78.4% |
| Dadeldhura | 78.2% |
| Sunsari | 78.1% |
| Nawalparasi West | 78.0% |
| Makwanpur | 77.8% |
| Darchula | 77.8% |
| Kailali | 77.6% |
| Lamjung | 77.5% |
| Salyan | 77.3% |
| Udayapur | 77.2% |
| Solukhumbu | 76.9% |
| Bardiya | 76.9% |
| Baitadi | 76.8% |
| Khotang | 76.0% |
| Rukum West | 75.7% |
| Kavrepalanchok | 75.7% |
| Rolpa | 75.6% |
| Dailekh | 75.5% |
| Jajarkot | 75.5% |
| Mustang | 75.1% |
| Okhaldhunga | 73.9% |
| Banke | 73.4% |
| Kalikot | 72.7% |
| Achham | 72.6% |
| Sindhuli | 72.6% |
| Dhading | 72.4% |
| Gorkha | 72.4% |
| Dolakha | 72.3% |
| Kapilbastu | 71.8% |
| Rukum East | 71.4% |
| Bajura | 71.2% |
| Doti | 70.7% |
| Bajhang | 70.5% |
| Jumla | 70.2% |
| Rasuwa | 69.6% |
| Parsa | 69.1% |
| Nuwakot | 69.1% |
| Ramechhap | 68.1% |
| Mugu | 68.1% |
| Sindhupalchok | 68.0% |
| Saptari | 67.7% |
| Dolpa | 67.0% |
| Dhanusa | 65.2% |
| Siraha | 65.1% |
| Bara | 64.5% |
| Humla | 63.8% |
| Sarlahi | 60.3% |
| Mahottari | 59.8% |
| Rautahat | 57.8% |
Indicators in this topic
3 published. Every one has its own page with a full series and geographic breakdown.
| Indicator | Nepal | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Literacy rateसाक्षरता दर | 76.2% | Percent |
| Literate populationसाक्षर जनसंख्या | 20,377,980 | Persons |
| Population aged 5 and over५ वर्ष र माथिको जनसंख्या | 26,725,295 | Persons |
What these measure
- Literacy rate
- Share of the population aged 5 and over who can read and write. The denominator is the 5-plus population, not the total population.
- Literate population
- People aged 5 and over who can read and write.
- Population aged 5 and over
- The denominator for literacy. Published because a rate without its base cannot be recomputed or aggregated.
Sources & methodology
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2024) · United Nations Population Fund (2023) · National Statistics Office (2021) · Wikidata (2026) · World Bank (1960-2024)
Reusable under CC BY-IGO 3.0 and nso-official-statistics and CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 with attribution. Retrieved 2026-08-23. Full metadata, caveats and revision history →