Manila, May 30 -- The Cordillera Administrative Region ranked first in functional literacy nationwide, Benguet and Apayao took the top two spots in the highest basic literacy rate among provinces, and Baguio City was second among highly urbanized cities, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday.

Apayao recorded 95.2 percent followed by Benguet with 94.9 percent in basic literacy rate, the highest among the provinces in the country, PSA-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) chief statistical specialist Aldrin Bahit said in a report during the 2024 regional data dissemination forum on Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey here.

The PSA conducted data gathering in October last year.

"The country has a 90 perce...