Literacy in India has been increasing as more and more people receive a better education, but it is still far from all-encompassing. In 2023, the degree of literacy in India was about 77 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.

Among the states in India, Kerala had the highest literary rate with ** percent in 2011. Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and the capital territory of Delhi followed Kerala with above average literacy rates. Notably, all the leading states in the country had more literate males than females at the time of the census.

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.

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 literacy rate of the female population in the country was about 65 percent in 2011, in comparison to about 57 percent among the females in the scheduled caste population.

India’s Literacy Rate Trend from 1951 to 2011 reflects remarkable progress, with literacy rising from 18.33% in 1951 to 72.99% in 2011. This near fourfold increase showcases India's post-independence educational achievements. Kerala led the way, boosting literacy from 47.18% in 1951 to 94% in 2011, highlighting effective educational policies and social reforms. While Lakshadweep (91.85%) and Mizoram (91.33%) also excelled, Bihar (61.80%) and Rajasthan (66.11%) struggled below the national average. The Female literacy rate in India 1951 was significantly low but improved over the decades. Despite rapid strides, regional disparities persist, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to achieve universal literacy.

In 2011, **** million out of 26.8 million of people with disability in India were illiterate. Among illiterates in India, more women than men were reported to be illiterate, at respectively **** million and **** million of people.The general schooling system in India comprises of four levels namely, Primary (classes I – V), Middle or Upper Primary (Classes VI – VIII), Secondary (Classes IX – X), and Higher Secondary (XI – X). In India, the total number of illiterate women was higher than that of illiterate men. According to the 2009 Right to Education Act in India, children aged six to 14 years are entitled to free and compulsory education until upper primary level. However, as of 2011, less than one in every ten people with disability completed middle school.

Gender gap in education

Regarding reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market, India belongs to the least gender equal countries in the world. Gender disparity in India is also evident in the literacy gap. For instance, there are more men than women that have higher education levels . The same trend was also recorded among those with disability. Even though the Constitution of India grants women equality before the law and equal protection of the law, India still has a long way to go to achieve gender equality. Nevertheless, there is no question that women in India have overcome numerous barriers within the last few decades and continue to strive their way towards equality.

This dataset presents national-level literacy rates, compiled from multiple official sources, including the National Sample Survey (NSS), Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Population Census, National Family Health Survey (NFHS), and data published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

It provides literacy rates disaggregated by gender, region (urban and rural), and age group. The inclusion of age groups is essential, as the criteria for calculating literacy rates have changed over time. To allow consistent comparisons across sources and years, an ‘age group’ column is included in the dataset. In general, literacy is assessed based on whether a person above a specified age can read and write a simple message with understanding in at least one language. The age specified as per these sources is as follows:

Census: Population aged 7 years and above (used since 1981; previously, it was 5 years and above). Data is available for 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011 NSS: Population aged 5 years and above. Data is available for 2005, 2007-08, 2010, 2011-12, 2014, and 2017-18 PLFS: Survey typically covers population aged 15 years and above, but literacy data is also available for 5 years and above and 7 years and above. Data is available for 2017-18 to 2023-24. NFHS: Covers population aged 15–49 years only. Literacy rate refers to women and men who have completed standard 6, 9, or higher, or those who can read a full or partial sentence among individuals assumed to be literate. Data is available for 2005-06, 2015-16, and 2019-21. MoSPI: Follows the NSS age criteria, usually 5 years and above. Data is available for 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2011

The statistic displays the literacy rate in rural and urban regions of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India in 2011, with a breakdown by gender. In that year, the literacy rate among males living in rural areas in Uttar Pradesh was around 76 percent. India's literacy rate from 1981 through 2011 can be found here.

Documentation

Description and codebook for subset of harmonized variables:

Section 2

Guide to datasets:

Full Project Name: The Impact of Mother Literacy and Participation Programs on Child Learning in India

Unique ID: 458

PIs: Rukmini Banerji, James Berry, Marc Shotland

Location: Indian states of Bihar and Rajasthan

Sample: Around 9,000 households in 480 villages

Timeline: 2010 to 2012

Target Group: Children Parents Rural population Women and girls

Outcome of Interest: Employment, Student learning ,Women’s/girls’ decision-making, Gender attitudes and norms

Intervention Type: Early childhood development, Tracking and remedial education, Empowerment training

Associated publications: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20150390

More information: https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/impact-mother-literacy-and-participation-programs-child-learning-india

Dataverse: Banerji, Rukmini; Berry, James; Shotland, Marc, 2017, “The Impact of Maternal Literacy and Participation Programs: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in India”, https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/19PPE7, Harvard Dataverse, V1

Section 3

Survey instrument:

Testing tools:

Section 4

Survey instrument:

Testing tools:

Section 5

No associated survey instrument

Section 6

This dataset was created on 2021-10-06 20:35:41.921 by merging multiple datasets together. The source datasets for this version were:

Maternal Literacy in India Baseline: Modified from ml_merged : contains data with variables only from baseline surveys

Maternal Literacy in India Endline: Modified from ml_merged : contains data with variables only from endline surveys

Maternal Literacy in India Raw Administrative Statistics: 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

The statistic displays the literacy rate in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India between 1991 and 2011, broken down by gender. In 2001, 70 percent of the female population living in Andhra Pradesh knew how to read or write. India's literacy rate from 1981 through 2011 can be found here.

As per the last census data from 2011, the literacy rate in Mumbai was around ** percent for males and ** percent for females. The literacy rates were higher across genders in Mumbai's suburban areas. Literacy rates in Mumbai and its suburban areas were higher than the average of Maharashtra at **** percent.

The statistic displays the literacy rate in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India between 1991 and 2011, by gender. In 2001, the literacy rate of the female population living in Arunachal Pradesh was around 64 percent. India's literacy rate from 1981 to 2011 can be found here.

District wise language data drawn from the 2011 government censuses. This layer also Includes mother tongue languages and literacy rates for men and women.Data source: https://data.humdata.org/dataset/india-languagesThis 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.

As per the Indian census data of 2011, about 83 percent of the male population in the southern state of Karnataka knew how to read or write. During the same year, the female literacy rate was at 68 percent in the state.

State wise language data drawn from the 2011 government censuses. This layer also Includes mother tongue languages and literacy rates for men and women.Data source: https://data.humdata.org/dataset/india-languagesThis 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.

The statistic displays the literacy rate in Kerala in India between 1991 and 2011, broken down by gender. In 2001, ** percent of the male population from Kerala knew how to read or write. India's literacy rate from 1981 through 2011 can be found here.

The statistic displays the literacy rate in rural and urban regions of Madhya Pradesh in India in 2011, with a breakdown by gender. In that year, the literacy rate for females living in rural areas in Madhya Pradesh was around 52 percent. India's literacy rate from 1981 through 2011 can be found here.

The statistic displays the literacy rate in Punjab in India between 1991 and 2011, broken down by gender. In 2001, ** percent of the female population in Punjab knew how to read or write. India's literacy rate from 1981 through 2011 can be found here.

The statistic displays the literacy rate in urban India from 2003 through 2011, with a breakdown by gender. In 2011, ** percent of the female population living in urban areas in India knew how to read and write.

The statistic displays the literacy rate in the state of Uttarakhand in India between 1991 and 2011, broken down by gender. In 2001, ** percent of the female population living in Uttarakhand knew how to read or write. India's literacy rate from 1981 through 2011 can be found here.