According to the seventh population census in 2020 the overall literacy rate in the People's Republic of China was 96.74 per cent. In the different regions the illiteracy rate varies considerably, though. The following is a list of the first-level administrative divisions covered in the population census, including all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, in order of their officially reported illiteracy rate for people aged 15 and above in 2000, 2010, and 2020.

Figures from censuses conducted in Hong Kong (2021) and Macau (2021) are given for the two special administrative regions; these are not directly comparable as the methodologies used may differ.

Mainland China

Color Regions of China North China East China Southwestern China Northwestern China South Central China Northeast China

Name Region2000 20102020 Beijing North China 4.93% 1.86%0.89% Jilin Northeast China 5.74% 2.18%1.51% Liaoning Northeast China 5.79% 2.18%1.01% Guangdong South Central China 5.17% 2.41%1.78% Heilongjiang Northeast China 6.33% 2.34%1.53% Tianjin North China 6.47% 2.33%1.42% Shanxi North China 5.68% 2.57%1.45% Xinjiang Northwestern China 7.72% 3.01%3.43% Fujian East China 9.68% 2.89%2.89% Hebei North China 8.59% 3.14%1.89% Hunan South Central China 5.99% 3.24%2.12% Guangxi South Central China 5.30% 3.46%3.10% Shanghai East China 6.21% 3.00%1.79% Jiangxi East China 6.98% 4.02%2.48% Shaanxi Northwestern China 9.82% 4.39%3.33% Jiangsu East China 7.88% 4.36%3.08% Inner Mongolia North China 11.59% 4.73%3.83% Hainan South Central China 9.72% 5.07%4.05% Henan South Central China 7.91% 5.37%2.91% Chongqing Southwestern China 8.90% 5.08%1.93% Hubei South Central China 9.31% 5.32%2.77% Shandong East China 10.75% 5.89%4.01% Sichuan Southwestern China 9.87% 6.55%4.74% Zhejiang East China 8.55% 6.47%3.14% Yunnan Southwestern China 15.44% 7.60%5.77% Ningxia Northwestern China 15.72% 7.82%5.07% Anhui East China 13.43% 9.90%5.54% Gansu Northwestern China 19.68% 10.62%8.32% Guizhou Southwestern China 19.85% 11.40%8.77% Qinghai Northwestern China 25.44% 12.94%10.01% Tibet Southwestern China 47.25% 32.29%28.08%Mainland China9.08%4.88%3.26%

Hong Kong and Macau

Rank Name % — Hong Kong 3% — Macau 1.9%

References

External links National Bureau of Statistics