Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) in India
India: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) was 67.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in India, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in India stood at 67.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.4% on the previous year and up 25.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in India peaked at 72.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 1981.
India ranks 63rd of 88 countries on this measure, 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, female (%) (rate female) in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 21.1% | — |
| 1991 | 28.7% | +36.3% |
| 2001 | 42.6% | +48.3% |
| 2006 | 44.5% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 51.5% | +15.9% |
| 2011 | 54.0% | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 53.9% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 60.0% | +11.3% |
| 2019 | 62.2% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 63.1% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 63.9% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 65.1% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 72.3% | +11.1% |
| 2024 | 67.7% | -6.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 67.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 68.5%, 99% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- India's 67.7% is below the median for South Asia, which is 72.6%, 93% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) (rate female) in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +48.3% | 28.7% | 42.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21.1% | 21.1% | 21.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 28.7% | 28.7% | 28.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 43.5% | 42.6% | 44.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 56.3% | 51.5% | 62.2% | 5 |
| 2020s | 66.4% | 63.1% | 72.3% | 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 literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in India?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in India was 67.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 72.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 1981.
- How does India rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
- India ranks 63rd out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.5%. 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, female (%). 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