Bangladesh vs India: Literate and illiterate world population

Bangladesh
21
in 2022
India
21.84
in 2024
Bangladesh rank
40th
India rank
37th

Literate and illiterate world population over time

  • Bangladesh
  • India
20406080100190119622024

How they compare

India currently reports 21.84 against 21 in Bangladesh, a difference of 0.84.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 10 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Bangladesh ahead.

Bangladesh ranks 40th and India ranks 37th of 128 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Bangladesh averaged higher in 4 and India in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bangladesh India Difference Ahead
1980s 70.77 59.24 11.53 Bangladesh
1990s 64.68 51.78 12.9 Bangladesh
2000s 52.51 38.99 13.52 Bangladesh
2010s 33.7 28.07 5.62 Bangladesh
2020s 23.24 24.03 0.7877 India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher literate and illiterate world population, Bangladesh or India?
India, at 21.84 against 21 in Bangladesh as of 2024.
What is the difference in literate and illiterate world population between Bangladesh and India?
0.84, with India ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bangladesh and India?
10 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2022.
How do Bangladesh and India rank globally for literate and illiterate world population?
Bangladesh ranks 40th and India ranks 37th of 128 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Bangladesh vs India: Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/literate-and-illiterate-world-population/bangladesh/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Literate and illiterate world population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed