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.

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.

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 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

Literacy Rate: Delhi data was reported at 86.200 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 81.670 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Delhi data is updated decadal, averaging 73.615 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.200 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 61.950 % in 12-01-1961. Literacy Rate: Delhi 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.

India literacy rate for 2022 was 76.32%, a 7.02% increase from 2011.

• India literacy rate for 2011 was 69.30%, a 6.55% increase from 2006.
• India literacy rate for 2006 was 62.75%, a 1.74% increase from 2001.
• India literacy rate for 2001 was 61.01%, a 12.79% increase from 1991.

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.

In 2021, India had a rank of 73 out of 120 countries for internet literacy. Internet literacy, according to research, assessed the level of education and preparedness to use the internet. In terms of sub-indices, web accessibility ranked highest.

Literacy Rate: Punjab data was reported at 75.800 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 69.650 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Punjab data is updated decadal, averaging 58.510 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 75.800 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 34.120 % in 12-01-1971. Literacy Rate: Punjab 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.

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.

ml_admin_stats_raw: Contains administrative statistics from the 2011 census and aser surveys used in online Appendix Table 1 in the paper; this is merged with some of the survey data to create ml_admin_stats

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.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%) in India was reported at 45.38 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

The dataset contains Year-, region- and gender-wise All India compiled data on distribution (per thousand) of persons of age group of 5 years and above by literacy rate and by their social groups such as scheduled caste (SC), scheduled tribe (ST), other backwards classes (OBC) and other castes, during the period of 2005 to 2012. The dataset has been compiled from Statement No. 3.12 of 68th report of NSS

Literacy Rate: Haryana data was reported at 75.600 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 67.910 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Haryana data is updated decadal, averaging 55.850 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 75.600 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 25.710 % in 12-01-1971. Literacy Rate: Haryana 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 2020, the digital literacy rate in India was found to be higher among men as compared to women. The rate of searching and browsing the internet was 48 percent among the male population as compared to 37 percent among the female population.

Literacy Rate: Lakshadweep data was reported at 91.800 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 86.660 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Lakshadweep data is updated decadal, averaging 68.420 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91.800 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 15.230 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Lakshadweep 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.

86,6 (%) in 2017. 1. Literacy rates for 1951, 1961 and 1971 Censuses relate to population aged five years and above. The rates for the 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses relate to the population aged seven years and above. The literacy rate for 1951 in case of West Bengal relates to Total population including 0-4 age group. Literacy rate for 1951 in respect of Chhatisgarg, Madhya Pradesh and Manipur are based on sample population. 2. India and Manipur figures exclude those of the three sub-divisions viz. Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul of Senapati district of Manipur as census results of 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrative reasons. 3. N.A. - Not available as no census was carried out in Assam during 1981 and in Jammu & Kashmir during 1991. 4. Created in 2001. Uttaranchal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh for 1981 and 1991 are included under Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh respectively.

This statistic describes the results of a survey among rural and urban Indian households about the literacy rate based on social groups in 2013-14. For instance, literacy rate among the other backward classes (OBCs) amounted to about 74 percent. Literacy rate was lowest among the scheduled tribes during the survey period.