Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in India
India: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 76.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in India, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in India stood at 76.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in India peaked at 80.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 37.1%, in 1981.
That places India 61st out of 87 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.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 37.1% | — |
| 1991 | 44.1% | +18.7% |
| 2001 | 57.0% | +29.5% |
| 2006 | 58.3% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 63.5% | +8.8% |
| 2011 | 65.4% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 65.0% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 69.7% | +7.3% |
| 2019 | 71.3% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 71.9% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 72.9% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 73.2% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 80.1% | +9.3% |
| 2024 | 76.0% | -5.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.1% | 37.1% | 37.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 44.1% | 44.1% | 44.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 57.7% | 57.0% | 58.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 67.0% | 63.5% | 71.3% | 5 |
| 2020s | 74.8% | 71.9% | 80.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 60.33 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in India?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in India was 76.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 80.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.1% in 1981.
- How does India rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- India ranks 61st out of 87 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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