Years of schooling in India
India: Years of schooling was 6.88 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.88
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
143rd
of 192 countries
All-time high
6.88
in 2023
All-time low
2.78
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Years of schooling in India, 1990–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, years of schooling in India stood at 6.88. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, years of schooling in India peaked at 6.88 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.78, in 1990.
India ranks 143rd of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Years of schooling in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.78 | — |
| 1991 | 2.88 | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 2.99 | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 3.09 | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 3.19 | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 3.3 | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 3.47 | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 3.64 | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 3.8 | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 3.97 | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 4.14 | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 4.22 | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 4.3 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 4.37 | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 4.45 | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 4.53 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 4.63 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 4.74 | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 4.85 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 4.96 | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 5.06 | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 5.3 | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 5.4 | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 5.5 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 5.59 | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 5.69 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 5.79 | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 6.01 | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 6.24 | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 6.28 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 6.49 | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 6.53 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 6.57 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 6.88 | +4.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 6.88 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.79, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 6.88 is above the median for South Asia, which is 6.83, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.31 | 2.78 | 3.97 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.52 | 4.14 | 4.96 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.69 | 5.06 | 6.28 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.62 | 6.49 | 6.88 | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.38 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.88 (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is years of schooling in India?
- Years of schooling in India was 6.88 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest years of schooling recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 6.88 in 2023.
- What is the lowest years of schooling recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.78 in 1990.
- How does India rank for years of schooling?
- India ranks 143rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is years of schooling rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).