Sri Lanka ranks last in South Asia in computer skills
Computer literacy remains low in the South Asian country, while the region reported overall progress. In 2024, 64.1 per cent of the population did not know how to use a computer, and only 19.1 per cent of households owned one, according to new data from the Department of Census and Statistics. Literacy is higher among young people and those with higher education, with rates dropping in rural areas.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – According to Sri Lanka's Department of Census and Statistics, only two people in five have computer skills in the country, while 64.1 per cent of the population was unable to use a computer in 2024.
Although overall South Asian countries have seen improvements in computer literacy rates over the past five years, Sri Lanka has seen a decline, setting back its efforts to improve digital skills.
The computer literacy rate has remained incredibly low, with survey results indicating a 3.1 per cent decline in 2023 and 2024.
The gap in computer and digital literacy suggests difficulties in acquiring basic skills and accessing IT devices and infrastructure, as well as internet connectivity.
In 2024, only 19.1 per cent of households owned a computer. Urban areas have the highest computer literacy rate, at 47.3 per cent, while rural areas and plantations have significantly lower rates, at 18.8 per cent and 4.7 per cent, respectively.
The highest rate is in Western Province, the country's most populous, at 34.1 per cent, while the lowest is in Uva Province, at 9.3 per cent.
Between 2021 and 2023, the availability of desktop or laptop computers in households varied between 20 per cent and 24 per cent.
Senior officials from the Department of Census and Statistics told AsiaNews that "a person between the ages of 5 and 69 is considered computer literate if they can use a computer independently. Even a 5-year-old child who knows how to play a video game is considered computer literate.”
A recent survey found that "young people between the ages of 15 and 19 show the highest computer literacy rate (80.1 per cent) among all other age groups.”
These results also reveal that the higher the level of education, the greater the computer literacy.
“The group with an education level equal to or above the GCE Advanced Level shows the highest computer literacy rate (80.6 per cent), while those with knowledge of the English language have a computer literacy rate of 85.4 per cent,” the study noted.
“Computer literacy among the employed population stood at approximately 72.2 per cent in 2023. Among senior professionals, including corporate executives, the rate was between 90 and 93 per cent, while among technicians and associate professionals, it was approximately 85 per cent,” said computer scientists Sampath Dissanayaka and Pradeepa Tennakoon.
"Among unemployed youth aged 25 to 29, in particular, those living in urban areas reported the highest percentage of computer literacy, at 86 per cent, and three in ten people were computer literate in the 40 to 69 age group in Colombo and Kandy."
The lowest percentage of computer literacy was reported among people living in rural areas, without access to computers, and those employed in the primary sector, such as farmers and fishermen, the two note. “Most housewives in urban areas also lack computer skills," they add.
Although many South Asian countries have seen progress in computer literacy over the past five years, Sri Lanka has seen a drop, a setback in efforts to improve digital skills, placing Sri Lanka dead last place in terms of IT skills in South Asia.
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23/05/2023 14:14
