Literacy rate in India is uneven and as such, different states and union territories of India have differences in their literacy rates. The following table shows the details from 1951 to 2011 census data on total literacy rate in percentage. According to Census 2011, Kerala has the highest total literacy rate and female literacy rate whereas Lakshadweep had the highest male literacy rate. Andhra Pradesh has the lowest overall literacy rate. Rajasthan has the lowest male literacy rate, while Bihar has the lowest female literacy rate. Literacy figures are collected by census takers which essentially means literacy (or lack therefore) is self assessed.
Recent estimates
Literacy rates as %age of population by States and Union territories
| Census 2011 |
NSO survey (2017) |
 India |
74.04 |
82.14 |
65.46 |
77.7 |
84.7 |
70.3 |
| A&N islands[UT] |
86.27 |
90.11 |
81.84 |
– |
– |
– |
| Andhra Pradesh[a] |
66.40 |
75.56 |
59.74 |
66.4 |
73.4 |
59.5 |
| Arunachal Pradesh |
66.95 |
73.69 |
59.57 |
– |
– |
– |
| Assam |
73.18 |
78.81 |
67.27 |
85.9 |
90.1 |
81.2 |
| Bihar |
69.82 |
73.39 |
53.33 |
70.9 |
79.7 |
60.5 |
| Chhattisgarh |
71.04 |
81.45 |
60.59 |
77.3 |
85.4 |
68.8 |
| Chandigarh[UT] |
86.43 |
90.54 |
81.38 |
– |
– |
– |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli[UT] |
77.65 |
86.46 |
65.93 |
– |
– |
– |
| Daman & Diu[UT] |
87.07 |
91.48 |
79.59 |
– |
– |
– |
| Delhi[UT] |
86.34 |
91.03 |
80.93 |
88.70 |
82.40 |
93.70 |
| Goa |
87.40 |
92.81 |
81.84 |
– |
– |
– |
| Gujarat |
79.31 |
87.23 |
70.73 |
82.4 |
89.5 |
74.8 |
| Haryana |
76.64 |
85.38 |
66.77 |
80.4 |
88.0 |
71.3 |
| Himachal Pradesh |
83.78 |
90.83 |
76.60 |
86.6 |
92.9 |
80.5 |
| Jammu and Kashmir |
68.74 |
78.26 |
58.01 |
77.3 |
85.7 |
68.0 |
| Jharkhand |
66.40 |
78.45 |
56.21 |
74.3 |
83.0 |
64.7 |
| Karnataka |
75.60 |
82.85 |
68.13 |
77.2 |
83.4 |
70.5 |
| Kerala |
93.91 |
96.02 |
91.98 |
96.2 |
97.4 |
95.2 |
| Lakshadweep[UT] |
92.28 |
96.11 |
88.25 |
– |
– |
– |
| Madhya Pradesh |
70.63 |
80.53 |
60.02 |
73.7 |
81.2 |
65.5 |
| Maharashtra |
82.91 |
89.82 |
75.48 |
84.8 |
90.7 |
78.4 |
| Manipur |
79.85 |
86.49 |
73.17 |
– |
– |
– |
| Meghalya |
75.48 |
77.17 |
73.78 |
– |
– |
– |
| Mizoram |
91.58 |
93.72 |
89.40 |
– |
– |
– |
| Nagaland |
80.11 |
83.29 |
76.69 |
– |
– |
– |
| Odisha |
73.45 |
82.40 |
64.36 |
77.3 |
84.0 |
70.3 |
| Puducherry[UT] |
86.55 |
92.12 |
81.22 |
– |
– |
– |
| Punjab |
76.68 |
81.48 |
71.34 |
83.7 |
88.5 |
78.5 |
| Rajasthan |
67.06 |
80.51 |
52.66 |
69.7 |
80.8 |
57.6 |
| Sikkim |
82.20 |
87.29 |
76.43 |
– |
– |
– |
| Tamil Nadu |
80.33 |
86.81 |
73.86 |
82.9 |
87.9 |
77.9 |
| Telangana |
– |
– |
– |
72.8 |
80.5 |
65.1 |
| Tripura |
87.75 |
92.18 |
83.15 |
– |
– |
– |
| Uttarakhand |
79.63 |
88.33 |
70.70 |
87.6 |
94.3 |
80.7 |
| Uttar Pradesh |
69.72 |
79.24 |
59.26 |
73.0 |
81.8 |
63.4 |
| West Bengal |
77.08 |
82.67 |
71.16 |
80.50 |
84.80 |
76.10 |
Timeline by Census
Summary by Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India; literacy rates as % of population.
| A&N islands |
30.30 |
40.07 |
51.15 |
63.19 |
73.02 |
81.30 |
86.27 |
| Andhra Pradesh |
– |
21.19 |
24.57 |
35.66 |
44.08 |
60.47 |
67.66 |
| Arunachal Pradesh |
– |
7.13 |
11.29 |
25.55 |
41.59 |
54.34 |
66.95 |
| Assam |
18.53 |
32.95 |
33.94 |
– |
52.89 |
63.25 |
73.45 |
| Bihar |
13.49 |
21.95 |
23.17 |
32.32 |
37.49 |
47.00 |
63.82 |
| Chandigarh |
– |
– |
70.43 |
74.80 |
77.81 |
81.94 |
86.43 |
| Chhattisgarh |
9.41 |
18.14 |
24.08 |
32.63 |
42.91 |
64.66 |
71.04 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli |
– |
– |
18.13 |
32.90 |
40.71 |
57.63 |
77.65 |
| Daman and Diu |
– |
– |
– |
– |
71.20 |
78.18 |
87.07 |
| Delhi |
– |
61.95 |
65.08 |
71.94 |
75.29 |
81.67 |
86.34 |
| Goa |
23.48 |
35.41 |
51.96 |
65.71 |
75.51 |
82.01 |
87.40 |
| Gujarat |
21.82 |
31.47 |
36.95 |
44.92 |
61.29 |
69.14 |
79.31 |
| Haryana |
– |
– |
25.71 |
37.13 |
55.85 |
67.91 |
76.64 |
| Himachal Pradesh |
– |
– |
– |
– |
63.86 |
76.48 |
83.78 |
| Jammu and Kashmir |
– |
12.95 |
21.71 |
30.64 |
– |
55.52 |
68.74 |
| Jharkhand |
12.93 |
21.14 |
23.87 |
35.03 |
41.39 |
53.56 |
67.63 |
| Karnataka |
– |
29.80 |
36.83 |
46.21 |
56.04 |
66.06 |
75.60 |
| Kerala |
47.18 |
55.08 |
69.75 |
78.85 |
89.81 |
90.86 |
93.91 |
| Lakshadweep |
15.23 |
27.15 |
51.76 |
68.42 |
81.78 |
86.66 |
92.28 |
| Madhya Pradesh |
13.16 |
21.41 |
27.27 |
38.63 |
44.67 |
63.74 |
70.63 |
| Maharashtra |
27.91 |
35.08 |
45.77 |
57.24 |
64.87 |
76.88 |
82.91 |
| Manipur |
12.57 |
36.04 |
38.47 |
49.66 |
59.89 |
70.50 |
79.85 |
| Meghalya |
– |
26.92 |
29.49 |
42.05 |
49.10 |
62.56 |
75.48 |
| Mizoram |
31.14 |
44.01 |
53.80 |
59.88 |
82.26 |
88.80 |
91.58 |
| Nagaland |
10.52 |
21.95 |
33.78 |
50.28 |
61.65 |
66.59 |
80.11 |
| Odisha |
15.80 |
21.66 |
26.18 |
33.62 |
49.09 |
63.08 |
73.45 |
| Puducherry |
– |
43.65 |
53.38 |
65.14 |
74.74 |
81.24 |
86.55 |
| Punjab |
– |
– |
34.12 |
43.37 |
58.51 |
69.65 |
76.68 |
| Rajasthan |
8.5 |
18.12 |
22.57 |
30.11 |
38.55 |
60.41 |
67.06 |
| Sikkim |
– |
– |
17.74 |
34.05 |
56.94 |
68.81 |
82.20 |
| Tamil Nadu |
– |
36.39 |
45.40 |
54.39 |
62.66 |
73.45 |
80.33 |
| Tripura |
– |
20.24 |
30.98 |
50.10 |
60.44 |
73.19 |
87.75 |
| Uttar Pradesh |
12.02 |
20.87 |
23.99 |
32.65 |
40.71 |
56.27 |
69.72 |
| Uttarakhand |
18.93 |
18.05 |
33.26 |
46.06 |
57.75 |
71.62 |
79.63 |
| West Bengal |
24.61 |
34.46 |
38.86 |
48.65 |
57.70 |
68.64 |
77.08 |
| India |
18.33 |
28.30 |
34.45 |
43.57 |
52.21 |
64.84 |
74.04 |
Literacy by Social Group
Literacy rate for different castes
| Social Group |
Rural |
Urban |
Rural + Urban |
| Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
| ST |
75.6 |
58.8 |
91.3 |
79.6 |
77.5 |
61.3 |
| SC |
78.0 |
60.9 |
88.4 |
75.3 |
80.3 |
63.9 |
| OBC |
81.7 |
64.2 |
91.1 |
80.5 |
84.4 |
68.9 |
| OTHERS |
87.6 |
74.5 |
95.0 |
88.6 |
90.8 |
80.6 |
| ALL |
81.5 |
65.0 |
92.2 |
82.8 |
84.7 |
70.3 |
Literacy rate by different religion
| Social Group |
Rural |
Urban |
Rural + Urban |
| Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
| Hindu |
81.8 |
64.5 |
93.4 |
83.8 |
85.1 |
70.0 |
| Muslim |
77.4 |
64.8 |
85.8 |
75.6 |
80.6 |
68.8 |
| Christian |
84.4 |
77.0 |
95.5 |
91.4 |
88.2 |
82.2 |
| Sikh |
85.3 |
72.1 |
94.2 |
88.7 |
87.3 |
75.9 |
| ALL |
81.5 |
65.0 |
92.2 |
82.8 |
84.7 |
70 |
