Inequality in education in India
India: Inequality in education was 0.3688 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in education in India, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for inequality in education in India is 0.3688, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in education in India peaked at 0.4242 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.3688, in 2019.
India ranks 32nd of 184 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality in education in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.4242 | — |
| 2011 | 0.4242 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.4242 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.4242 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.4242 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.3867 | -8.8% |
| 2016 | 0.3867 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3867 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.3867 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.3688 | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 0.3688 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.3688 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.3688 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.3688 | +0.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 0.3688 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3021, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 0.3688 is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.3606, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.4036 | 0.3688 | 0.4242 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3688 | 0.3688 | 0.3688 | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 29 Saint Lucia 0.3741 compare
- 30 Haiti 0.3734 compare
- 31 Egypt 0.3694 compare
- 33 Bangladesh 0.3525 compare
- 34 Central African Republic 0.352 compare
- 35 Niger 0.3496 compare
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 inequality in education in India?
- Inequality in education in India was 0.3688 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in education recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4242 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in education recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3688 in 2019.
- How does India rank for inequality in education?
- India ranks 32nd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in education rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years adults older than 25 participated in formal education.