Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in India
India: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female was 70.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in India, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in India stood at 70.7%.
The figure is down 5.5% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in India peaked at 74.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 1981.
That places India 64th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 25.7% | — |
| 1991 | 33.7% | +31.3% |
| 2001 | 47.8% | +41.8% |
| 2006 | 50.8% | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 57.7% | +13.4% |
| 2011 | 59.3% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 59.9% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 65.2% | +8.8% |
| 2019 | 67.0% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 67.6% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 68.2% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 69.1% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 74.9% | +8.3% |
| 2024 | 70.7% | -5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.7% | 25.7% | 25.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 33.7% | 33.7% | 33.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 49.3% | 47.8% | 50.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 61.8% | 57.7% | 67.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 70.1% | 67.6% | 74.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in India?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female in India was 70.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 74.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 1981.
- How does India rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female?
- India ranks 64th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release