Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%) (rate male) in India
India: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male (%) (rate male) was 84.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in India, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in India stood at 84.6%.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in India peaked at 87.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 52.1%, in 1981.
That places India 58th out of 88 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, male (%) (rate male) in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 52.1% | — |
| 1991 | 58.2% | +11.8% |
| 2001 | 70.8% | +21.6% |
| 2006 | 72.7% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 75.4% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 76.5% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 76.1% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 79.7% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 80.6% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 81.0% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 82.1% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 81.5% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 87.7% | +7.6% |
| 2024 | 84.6% | -3.6% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 84.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 83.7%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- India's 84.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 84.6%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 52.1% | 52.1% | 52.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 58.2% | 58.2% | 58.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 71.8% | 70.8% | 72.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 77.6% | 75.4% | 80.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 83.4% | 81.0% | 87.7% | 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, male in India?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male in India was 84.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 87.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.1% in 1981.
- How does India rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male?
- India ranks 58th out of 88 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, male rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. 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, male (%). 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