DAVAO City had a 93.5% basic literacy rate for the population five years old and older, the highest in Region XI, based on its 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS).
According to Randolph Anthony Gales, Philippine Statistics Authority XI chief statistical specialist, said Davaoeño females recorded higher rates at 91.1% compared to males with 89.4%.
In the age group (region level), ages 20 to 24 topped with a 96.9% while those who were 60 and older had the lowest literacy rate with 77.4%.
The average basic literacy rate aged five years and older for Davao Region is currently at 90.3% as of 2024.
Davao de Oro ranked second and has a 91.3% basic literacy rate, followed by Davao del Sur (excluding Davao City) with a 90.2%. In the region, Davao Occidental had the lowest with 74.2%.
Basic Literacy refers to the ability of a person to read and write a simple message in any language or dialect with understanding, and to compute or perform basic mathematical operations.
At the national level, Region III in Central Luzon is at 92.8%, being the highest among regions, while BARMM records the lowest of 81.0% in 2024.
Moreover, Davao City’s functional literacy rate in 2024 sits at 69.6%, also the highest in the region. Six out of nine Davaoeños aged 10 to 64 years are “functional literate,” with females at a higher 70.3% rate compared to the males with 63.2%
