In this article, we will look at the 25 Most Educated Countries in Asia. We will also discuss the literacy crisis Asia is facing and how Asia’s booming technology infrastructure can be leveraged to deal with the crisis.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 4.6, states that all youth and a considerable amount of adults of both genders should achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030. Education is recognized as one of the solutions that can end poverty from its roots and also affects the progress of other non-education SDGs for a region. According to the United Nations, the Asia Pacific region, especially East and South Asia has made considerable progress in terms of educating its youth and adults. From 1990 to 2015 the literacy rates for people aged 15 and above increased from 79% to 96% in East Asia. Moreover, the literacy rates in South Asia also increased from 47% in 1990 to 70% in 2015. However, despite the considerable progress the region still faces a literacy crisis and approximately 46% of the world’s illiterate youth live in the Asia Pacific region. If you want to read more about education in Asia you can look at the 20 Best Universities in Asia for International Students and 17 Countries With Best Universities In Asia.
The education situation in Asia is dispersed, on one hand, there are the most educated countries including China, Japan, and Korea that not only rank in the top positions within the region but also lead in a global perspective. Whereas, on the other hand, there are countries such as Azerbaijan, Mongolia, and Bhutan that have low literacy rates and rank lower on our list both on a regional and global level.
Asia is Facing a Literacy Crisis
The education crisis in the region is multifaceted. On one hand, the region faces the issue of growing numbers of out-of-school children. On the other hand, it has a weak education system that fails to produce literate students even after formal schooling. According to UNESCO, there are approximately 16 million primary school-aged and 34 million lower secondary out-of-school children in the Asia Pacific region. Moreover, over two-thirds of these out-of-school children belong to South Asia.
In addition to out-of-school children, approximately 241 million school-going children in the low-income countries of the region fail to reach the basic level of literacy and are unable to read simple sentences by the age of 10. Gender parity in terms of education also remains high with females accounting for approximately 56% of the 43 million world illiterate youth belonging to the Asia Pacific region. To read more about countries suffering from literacy crises you can look at the 20 Countries with the Highest Share of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).
How can Education in Asia Leverage its Growing Technology Infrastructure?
The use of the Internet and technology infrastructure is booming in Southeast Asia and has the potential to positively impact the education crisis in the region. According to the Southeast Asia, Technology in Education Report 2023 by UNESCO, internet connectivity in the region has increased during the past 10 years. In 2020, over 40 million people went online for the first time. Moreover, the region had approximately 400 million internet users in 2023.
Southeast Asia also reports a high level of internet connectivity at home, with approximately 57% of the students having internet access at home. Governments in the region are leveraging the trend of high internet usage and technology adoption to promote the use of Ed-Tech technology and AI in the education sector. For instance, Thailand’s National AI Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2027 is making efforts to promote AI Education through dedicated scholarships. In addition, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of the country is focusing on the identification of skills among youth and is providing them avenues to polish their skills and competencies. On the other hand, Malaysia’s National Artificial Intelligence Roadmap 2021-2025 aims to promote the comprehensive learning of AI in schools and provide related opportunities.
With this context let’s look at the 25 most educated countries in Asia.
Photo by Jerry Wang on Unsplash
Our Methodology
To compile the list of 25 most educated countries in Asia we relied on Insider Monkey’s Global Education Index. Our index ranks 218 countries and territories using 3 main indicators; The number of universities ranked among the top 1000 on the QS university ranking, the average rank of the universities among the top 1000, and the per capita government expenditure on education. The index ranks the countries based on the weighted sum of the normalized values of all the three indicators mentioned above.
For this article, we selected the top Asian countries from our Global Education Index and ranked them in descending order of their global ranking. Moreover, we have also included population figures for the countries mentioned in the list, sourced from the IMF.
Please note that we have not included Middle Eastern countries in this article.
25 Most Educated Countries in Asia
25. Azerbaijan
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 157
QS Universities Total: 0
Average Rank of Universities: 0
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 2.90%
Azerbaijan is situated at the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It ranks 25th on our list of most educated countries in Asia. The country has a population of 10.31 million as of 2024. Azerbaijan does not have any universities ranking in the top 1000 of the QS World University Ranking and spent 2.90% of its GDP on Education in 2022, thereby ranking 157th on our Global Education Index.
24. Mongolia
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 155
QS Universities Total: 0
Average Rank of Universities: 0
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 4.26%
Mongolia is an Eastern Asian nation bordering China and Russia. The country has a population of 3.55 million as of 2024 and it ranks as the 24th most educated country in Asia. The government of Mongolia in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank is working to further improve education in the country. At the moment, the Asian Development Banks’ Sustaining Access to Quality of Education During Economic Difficulties Project is ongoing. The project is worth $50 million and under this project, the government is engaged in expanding 21 schools in various provinces of the country. Moreover, on March 3, the Asian Development Bank reported that it signed a $15 million additional financing agreement with the government of Mongolia to scale up the ongoing project and extend its reach to expand 30 schools that will benefit more than 7,000 children.
23. Bhutan
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 146
QS Universities Total: 0
Average Rank of Universities: 0
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 8.14
Bhutan is a small country in Asia with a population of 0.78 million in 2024. It ranks as the 23rd most educated country in Asia with an Insider Monkey global ranking of 146. Unfortunately none of the universities in Bhutan rank among the top 1000 universities in the QS World University ranking. The country had an estimated per capita Education spending of $285 in 2023.
22. Turkmenistan
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 128
QS Universities Total: 0
Average Rank of Universities: 0
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 3.78
Turkmenistan is a Central Asian country with a population of 6.6 million as of 2024. The country ranks as the 22nd most educated country in Asia. None of the universities in Turkmenistan rank among the top 1000 of the QS World University ranking. The country spent 3.78% of its GDP on education expenditure in 2022 and ranks 128th on the Insider Monkey global ranking.
21. Maldives
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 118
QS Universities Total: 0
Average Rank of Universities: 0
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 4.58%
Maldives is an Island country in Asia that ranks 21st on our list of the 25 most educated countries in Asia. It is a small country with a population of only 0.4 million people as of 2024. Maldives has an Insider Monkey global ranking of 118 and spent 4.58% of its GDP on education in 2022.
20. Iraq
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 85
QS Universities Total: 1
Average Rank of Universities: 951
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 4.70%
Iraq makes it to the top 20 most educated countries in Asia. The country had a population of 44.47 million as of 2024. The University of Baghdad ranks among the top 1000 universities of the QS World University ranking. Moreover, the country spent $276 as per capita education expenditure in 2023. It ranks 85th on the Insider Monkey global ranking.
19. Kyrgyz Republic
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 81
QS Universities Total: 1
Average Rank of Universities: 851
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 7.96%
Kyrgyz Republic also known as Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan ranks 19th on our list of most educated countries in Asia. From a global perspective, the country ranks 81st on the Insider Monkey Global Education Index. Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University ranks amongst the top 1000 universities in the QS World University ranking. Kyrgyz Republic spent 9.79% of its GDP on education expenditure in 2022.
18. Brunei Darussalam
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 64
QS Universities Total: 2
Average Rank of Universities: 456
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 4.40%
Brunei Darussalam is a small country in Asia with a population of 0.44 million as of 2024. The country ranks 18th on our list of most educated countries in Asia and 64th on the Insider Monkey Global Education Index. Two of the universities from Brunei Darussalam rank among the top 1000 universities in the QS World University ranking and have an average rank of 456. The country spent 4.40% of its GDP on education expenditure in 2022.
17. Macao
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 63
QS Universities Total: 2
Average Rank of Universities: 380
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 5.25%
Macao is a special administrative region of China. It ranks 17th on our list of most educated countries in Asia. Two universities, the University of Macau and Macau University of Science and Technology rank among the top 1000 of the QS World University ranking with an average ranking of 380.
16. Bangladesh
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 60
QS Universities Total: 3
Average Rank of Universities: 781
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 1.97%
Bangladesh is a South Asian country with a population of 172.02 million as of 2024. The country ranks 16th on our list of most educated countries in Asia. From a global perspective, Bangladesh ranks 60th on our Insider Monkey Global Education Index. Moreover, three Bangladeshi Universities rank among the top 1000 of the QS World University ranking with the University of Dhaka ranking the best at 691th position in the world.
15. Vietnam
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 56
QS Universities Total: 4
Average Rank of Universities: 784
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 2.90%
Vietnam ranks as the 15th most educated country in Asia. It has a global ranking of 56 on the Insider Monkey Global Education Index. As of 2024, Viet Nam has a population of 100.77 million. Four universities from Vietnam rank among the top 1000 of the QS World University ranking with an average rank of 784. Moreover, the country spent 2.90% of its GDP on education expenditure in 2022.
14. Philippines
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 51
QS Universities Total: 4
Average Rank of Universities: 612
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 3.58%
The Philippines is a Southeast Asian country with a population of 114.16 million during the current year. The country spent 3.58% of its GDP on education expenditure in 2022. Moreover, four universities from the Philippines rank in the top 1000 universities of the QS World University ranking and it has an Insider Monkey Global ranking of 51.
13. Singapore
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 48
QS Universities Total: 4
Average Rank of Universities: 252
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 2.39%
Singapore is a Southeast Asian country that ranks 13th on our list of most educated countries in Asia. The country has a global ranking of 58 on our Insider Monkey Global Education Index. Moreover, 4 Singaporean Universities rank among the top 1000 of the QS World University ranking with an average rank of 252. Singapore spent 2.39% of its GDP on education expenditure in 2022.
12. Iran
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 43
QS Universities Total: 6
Average Rank of Universities: 451
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 3.20%
Iran is a West Asian Country with a population of 87.41 million as of 2024. The country ranks 12th on our list of most educated countries in Asia. Moreover, six Iranian universities rank among the top 1000 of the QS world university ranking, with Sharif University of Technology being at the top with a global ranking of 334.
11. Hong Kong
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 41
QS Universities Total: 7
Average Rank of Universities: 172
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 3.73%
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. It ranks as the 11th most educated country in Asia. Overall, seven universities from Hong Kong rank in the top 1000 universities of the QS World University ranking. The University of Hong Kong is one of the top-ranking universities in the country and ranks 26th in the QS World University ranking. In terms of global standing Hong Kong ranks 41st on our Insider Monkey Global Education Index.
10. Thailand
Insider Monkey Global Ranking: 40
QS Universities Total: 8
Average Rank of Universities: 665
Expenditure on Education (as a % of GDP): 2.61%
Thailand makes it to the top 10 most educated countries in Asia. It is a Southeast Asian country that ranks 40th on our Global Education Index. The country spent 2.61% of its GDP on education expenditure in 2022. Moreover, eight universities from Thailand rank in the top 1000 universities on the QS World University ranking, with an average rank of 665.