Bangladesh's literacy rate among citizens aged seven and above has reached 77.9 per cent, leaving 21.1 per cent of the population still unable to read or write, according to the latest Bangladesh Economic Survey 2024 released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The literacy rate in Bangladesh was 76.8 per cent in the 2023, while the illiteracy rate stood at 23.2 per cent.
The disclosure came at a press conference on Sunday at the Secretariat, organised by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education on the occasion of International Literacy Day 2025. The Primary and Mass Education Adviser and the Secretary of the ministry addressed the briefing.
Officials noted that the illiterate population largely consists of out-of-school or dropout children and adults who have been deprived of educational opportunities. They stressed the urgency of transforming this segment into skilled human resources through literacy initiatives and job-oriented training to achieve the vision of a developed and prosperous Bangladesh.
Highlighting that International Literacy Day, declared by the United Nations, is observed globally on September 8 each year, the ministry emphasised that this year's theme-Promoting Literacy in the Age of Technology-reflects both the challenges and opportunities of the digital era.
Referring to the Non-Formal Education Act 2014, the officials explained that programs are underway to provide non-formal primary education for out-of-school children aged 10 to 14, as well as literacy, livelihood skills, and lifelong learning for adults aged 15 and above.
The press conference also highlighted ongoing and completed initiatives. Under the non-formal primary education program for out-of-school children, which ended on December 31, 2024, a total of 802,536 students were enrolled across 25,815 learning centres in 63 districts. Among them, 246,496 were reintegrated into the mainstream education system, while the rest received non-formal education.
The Basic Literacy Project, concluded in 2022, enabled 4.46 million adults across 248 upazilas in 64 districts to acquire literacy skills. Additionally, the pilot project Skill-Based Literacy for Out-of-School Adolescents in Cox's Bazar, which wrapped up in June this year, provided 6,825 adolescents with literacy and pre-vocational training in 13 occupations.
"Initiatives have been taken to expand the skill-based project to 16 more districts," officials said, adding that plans are also in place to introduce non-formal primary education and pre-vocational programs in one upazila of each of the 64 districts under the Alternative Learning Opportunity scheme.
Preparations have already been completed to launch field-level activities of a new nationwide initiative titled Effective Literacy and Practical Skills.
