As of 2021, India recorded a higher nationwide literacy rate among men than women, at respectively 84.4 percent of male population and 71.5 percent of female population. The gender literacy gap was more evident in rural India, with only 66 percent of women aged between 15 and 49 years being literate, compared to over 81 percent of their male counterparts in the region.

Literacy in India has been increasing as more and more people receive a better education, but it is still far from all-encompassing. In 2022, the degree of literacy in India was about 76.32 percent, with the majority of literate Indians being men. It is estimated that the global literacy rate for people aged 15 and above is about 86 percent. How to read a literacy rateIn order to identify potential for intellectual and educational progress, the literacy rate of a country covers the level of education and skills acquired by a country’s inhabitants. Literacy is an important indicator of a country’s economic progress and the standard of living – it shows how many people have access to education. However, the standards to measure literacy cannot be universally applied. Measures to identify and define illiterate and literate inhabitants vary from country to country: In some, illiteracy is equated with no schooling at all, for example. Writings on the wallGlobally speaking, more men are able to read and write than women, and this disparity is also reflected in the literacy rate in India – with scarcity of schools and education in rural areas being one factor, and poverty another. Especially in rural areas, women and girls are often not given proper access to formal education, and even if they are, many drop out. Today, India is already being surpassed in this area by other emerging economies, like Brazil, China, and even by most other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. To catch up, India now has to offer more educational programs to its rural population, not only on how to read and write, but also on traditional gender roles and rights.

As per the estimates for the year 2023, the literacy rate among women in India was 70 percent. Meanwhile, the literacy rate among their male Indian counterparts reached approximately 85 percent in the same period. The adult literacy rate in the country stood at 77 percent.

This dataset contains year and gender wise literacy rate in India

Note: This data is available decade wise only from 1951

The data shows the year-wise and state or union territory-wise literacy and rural and urban literacy, for male, female, and total literacy, in India according to Census in the period between 1999 and 2011.

Note: 1. Literacy rate is defined as the population of literates in the population aged 7 year and above. 2. The 1991 data (Excluding Jammu & Kashmir)and 2001 data (Excludes figures of Paomata, Mao Maran and Pura sub-divisions of Senapati district of Manipur for 2001) refer to Census of India.

The data shows the year-wise urban and rural literacy rates in India according to National Sample Survey office, both for male, female, and total literacy, in the years 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2014.

Note: Age group 7 years and above

In the year 2015-16, a total of 92.5 percent females from the highest wealth group were literate in India. In the same year, a total of only 37.4 percent females from the lowest wealth group were literate. The total female literacy rate in India grew from 55.1 percent to 68.4 percent from 2005 to 2016.

Literacy Rate: Uttar Pradesh data was reported at 67.700 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 56.270 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Uttar Pradesh data is updated decadal, averaging 32.650 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 67.700 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 12.020 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Uttar Pradesh data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

In the year 2015-16, a total of about 80 percent Sikh females were literate in India. In comparison, a total of only 53 percent Muslim females were literate during the same time period. The total female literacy rate in India grew from 55.1 percent to 68.4 percent from 2005 to 2016.

In the year 2015-16, a total of 81.4 percent females were literate in the urban areas in India. In the same year, a total of only 61.5 percent females were literate in the rural areas. The total female literacy rate in India grew from 55.1 percent to 68.4 percent from 2005 to 2016.

India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 30-34 data was reported at 109.800 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 114.900 NA for 2015. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 30-34 data is updated yearly, averaging 92.200 NA from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2016, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 114.900 NA in 2015 and a record low of 79.100 NA in 2013. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 30-34 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH008: Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: by Education Level of Women.

Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female in India was reported at 64.37 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, % female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 45-49 data was reported at 6.200 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.500 NA for 2015. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 45-49 data is updated yearly, averaging 4.600 NA from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2016, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.500 NA in 2015 and a record low of 2.900 NA in 2013. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 45-49 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH008: Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: by Education Level of Women.

Inde: Female literacy rate, ages 15-24: Pour cet indicateur, UNESCO fournit des données pour la Inde de 1981 à 2023. La valeur moyenne pour Inde pendant cette période était de 75.85 pour cent avec un minimum de 40 pour cent en 1981 et un maximum de 96 pour cent en 2022.

The statistic displays the literacy rate within the slum population in India in 2001 and 2011, distributed by gender. In 2001, more than 80 percent of the male population living in slum households were able to read or write. The male literacy rate has increased by 2011 to just under 84 percent. A high share of females living in slum households were illiterate.

Literacy Rate: Tamil Nadu data was reported at 80.100 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 73.450 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Tamil Nadu data is updated decadal, averaging 58.525 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 80.100 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 36.390 % in 12-01-1961. Literacy Rate: Tamil Nadu data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Abstract

The National Family Health Survey 2019-21 (NFHS-5), the fifth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India, each state/union territory (UT), and for 707 districts.

The primary objective of the 2019-21 round of National Family Health Surveys is to provide essential data on health and family welfare, as well as data on emerging issues in these areas, such as levels of fertility, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health, and other health and family welfare indicators by background characteristics at the national and state levels. Similar to NFHS-4, NFHS-5 also provides information on several emerging issues including perinatal mortality, high-risk sexual behaviour, safe injections, tuberculosis, noncommunicable diseases, and the use of emergency contraception.

The information collected through NFHS-5 is intended to assist policymakers and programme managers in setting benchmarks and examining progress over time in India’s health sector. Besides providing evidence on the effectiveness of ongoing programmes, NFHS-5 data will help to identify the need for new programmes in specific health areas.

The clinical, anthropometric, and biochemical (CAB) component of NFHS-5 is designed to provide vital estimates of the prevalence of malnutrition, anaemia, hypertension, high blood glucose levels, and waist and hip circumference, Vitamin D3, HbA1c, and malaria parasites through a series of biomarker tests and measurements.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49
• Man age 15 to 54

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged 15-49, all men age 15-54, and all children aged 0-5 resident in the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

A uniform sample design, which is representative at the national, state/union territory, and district level, was adopted in each round of the survey. Each district is stratified into urban and rural areas. Each rural stratum is sub-stratified into smaller substrata which are created considering the village population and the percentage of the population belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SC/ST). Within each explicit rural sampling stratum, a sample of villages was selected as Primary Sampling Units (PSUs); before the PSU selection, PSUs were sorted according to the literacy rate of women age 6+ years. Within each urban sampling stratum, a sample of Census Enumeration Blocks (CEBs) was selected as PSUs. Before the PSU selection, PSUs were sorted according to the percentage of SC/ST population. In the second stage of selection, a fixed number of 22 households per cluster was selected with an equal probability systematic selection from a newly created list of households in the selected PSUs. The list of households was created as a result of the mapping and household listing operation conducted in each selected PSU before the household selection in the second stage. In all, 30,456 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) were selected across the country in NFHS-5 drawn from 707 districts as on March 31st 2017, of which fieldwork was completed in 30,198 PSUs.

For further details on sample design, see Section 1.2 of the final report.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

Four survey schedules/questionnaires: Household, Woman, Man, and Biomarker were canvassed in 18 local languages using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI).

Cleaning operations

Electronic data collected in the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey were received on a daily basis via the SyncCloud system at the International Institute for Population Sciences, where the data were stored on a password-protected computer. Secondary editing of the data, which required resolution of computer-identified inconsistencies and coding of open-ended questions, was conducted in the field by the Field Agencies and at the Field Agencies central office, and IIPS checked the secondary edits before the dataset was finalized.

Field-check tables were produced by IIPS and the Field Agencies on a regular basis to identify certain types of errors that might have occurred in eliciting information and recording question responses. Information from the field-check tables on the performance of each fieldwork team and individual investigator was promptly shared with the Field Agencies during the fieldwork so that the performance of the teams could be improved, if required.

Response rate

A total of 664,972 households were selected for the sample, of which 653,144 were occupied. Among the occupied households, 636,699 were successfully interviewed, for a response rate of 98 percent.

In the interviewed households, 747,176 eligible women age 15-49 were identified for individual women’s interviews. Interviews were completed with 724,115 women, for a response rate of 97 percent. In all, there were 111,179 eligible men age 15-54 in households selected for the state module. Interviews were completed with 101,839 men, for a response rate of 92 percent.

India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 20-24 data was reported at 192.000 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 256.900 NA for 2015. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 20-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 256.400 NA from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2016, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 262.900 NA in 2013 and a record low of 192.000 NA in 2016. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: per 1000 Female Population: Educational Level of Women: Illiterate: Age: 20-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH008: Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: by Education Level of Women.

Literacy Rate: Kerala data was reported at 94.000 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 90.860 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Kerala data is updated decadal, averaging 78.850 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 94.000 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 47.180 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Kerala data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for allEnrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91%, but 57 million children remain out of school.More than half of children who have not enrolled in school live in sub-Saharan Africa.An estimated 50% of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas. Children in the poorest households are 4 times as likely to be out of school as children in the richest households.The world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but few countries have achieved that target at all levels of education.Among youth aged 15 to 24, the literacy rate has improved globally from 83 per cent to 91 per cent between 1990 and 2015.India has made significant progress in universalizing primary education. Enrolment and completion rates of girls in primary school have improved as are elementary completion rates. The net enrolment ratio in primary education (for both sexes) is 88%(2013-14). At the national level, male and female youth literacy rate is 94% and 92%.This map layer is offered by Esri India, for ArcGIS Online subscribers, If you have any questions or comments, please let us know via content@esri.in.