Sri Lanka literacy rate climbs to over 97%

The overall literacy rate in the country rose to 97.4% by the year 2024, marking a significant milestone in the education sector, according to the latest report from the Department of Census and Statistics.

This figure stood at 95.7% in 2012.

A most notable feature of this growth involves the gender gap in literacy reaching its lowest level since 1881.

According to 2024 data, male literacy stands at 97.9% while female literacy is recorded at 97.0%.

Data reports also indicate a rapid digital transformation, with digital literacy growing to 67.6% and computer literacy reaching 34.7%.