Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in India
India: Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita was 78.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita in India, 1981–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in India is 78.2%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 4.3% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in India peaked at 81.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 40.8%, in 1981.
That places India 62nd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.8% | 40.8% | 40.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 48.2% | 48.2% | 48.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 61.9% | 61.0% | 62.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 71.2% | 68.3% | 74.9% | 5 |
| 2020s | 77.6% | 75.5% | 81.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 111.0% (2025)
- Primary education, teachers 5.19 million (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.96 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 110.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in India?
- Literacy rate vs. gdp per capita in India was 78.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate vs. gdp per capita recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 81.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate vs. gdp per capita recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.8% in 1981.
- How does India rank for literacy rate vs. gdp per capita?
- India ranks 62nd out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.