Literacy rate of India 2021
Literacy rate of India 2021 : Literacy level and educational attainment are vital indicators of development in a society.
In earlier Censuses up to 1981, it was customary to work out the literacy rate taking into account the total population. Since literacy rate is more meaningful if the sub-population in the age group 0-6 is excluded from the total population, it was decided in 1991 to calculate literacy rate for the population seven years and above. The same concept has been retained in all Censuses since 1991. A person, who can only read but cannot write, is not literate. In the censuses prior to 1991, children below five years of age were necessarily treated as illiterates.
The literacy rate taking into account the total population in the denominator has now been termed as ‘crude literacy rate’, while the literacy rate calculated taking into account the 7 and above population in the denominator is called the effective literacy rate. The formula for computing crude literacy rate and effective literacy rate are as follows:
- Crude Literacy Rate = Number of Literate persons X 100 / Total Population
- Effective Literacy Rate = Number of Literate persons aged 7 and above X 100 / Population aged 7 and above
What is the Literacy rate of India 2021?
Literacy rate of India 2021 is 74.04%.***. The Male literacy rate is 82.14% and Female literacy rate is 65.46% according to Census 2021. In the 2011 census the country’s literacy rate stood at 74.04% percent. Kerala is the most literate state in India, with 93.91% literacy. Bihar is the least literate state in India, with a literacy of 63.82%.
According to the data, literates constitute 74%** of the total population, aged seven and above, and illiterates form 26%. ** The literacy rate went up from 74.04% in 2011 to ****% in 2021 showing an increase of ****.
Total Literacy rate of whole population of India Since 1901 to 2021
| S.N. | Census year | % | Gap in Male- Female Literacy Rate (in %) |
| 1. | 1901 | 5.4 | 9.2 |
| 2. | 1911 | 5.9 | 9.6 |
| 3. | 1921 | 7.2 | 10.40 |
| 4. | 1931 | 9.5 | 12.7 |
| 5. | 1941 | 16.1 | 17.6 |
| 6. | 1951 | 18.33 | 12.30 |
| 7. | 1961 | 28.3 | 25.05 |
| 8. | 1971 | 34.45 | 23.98 |
| 9. | 1981 | 43.57 | 26.62 |
| 10. | 1991 | 52.21 | 24.84 |
| 11. | 2001 | 64.83 | 21.59 |
| 12. | 2011 | 74.04 | 16.68 |
| 13. | 2021 | *** | *** |
Literacy rate of only Male population in India Since 1901 to 2021:
In the last 70 years the male literate population of India has became 4th time from 21% in 1951 to 82% in 2021.
| S.N. | Census year | % of Male Literacy |
| 1. | 1901 | 9.8 |
| 2. | 1911 | 10.6 |
| 3. | 1921 | 12.2 |
| 4. | 1931 | 15.6 |
| 5. | 1941 | 24.9 |
| 6. | 1951 | 21.16 |
| 7. | 1961 | 40.40 |
| 8. | 1971 | 45.96 |
| 9. | 1981 | 56.38 |
| 10. | 1991 | 64.13 |
| 11. | 2001 | 75.26 |
| 12. | 2011 | 82.14 |
| 13. | 2021 |
Literacy Rate of only Female Population in India Since 1901 to 2021:
The women education is still in very pitiable condition as the population of literate women is still hovering around 65%*** of the total population of the country. Percentage of literate women in the country was just 9% in 1951.
| S.N. | Census year | % of Female literacy |
| 1. | 1901 | 0.6 |
| 2. | 1911 | 1.0 |
| 3. | 1921 | 1.8 |
| 4. | 1931 | 2.9 |
| 5. | 1941 | 7.3 |
| 6. | 1951 | 8.86 |
| 7. | 1961 | 15.35 |
| 8. | 1971 | 21.97 |
| 9. | 1981 | 29.76 |
| 10. | 1991 | 39.29 |
| 11. | 2001 | 53.67 |
| 12. | 2011 | 65.46 |
| 13. | 2021 |
State wise Literacy rate in India 2021
Interestingly, female’s literacy level saw a significant jump as compared to males between 2011-2021.
While female literacy in 2011 stood at 65.46%, it has gone up to ***% in 2021. The male literacy in comparison rose from 82.14% to ***.
| S.N. | State/ Union Territory | Literacy Rate in % (Person) | Literacy Rate in % (Male) | Literacy Rate in % (Female) |
| 1. | Kerala | 94.0 | 96.1 | 92.1 |
| 2. | Lakshadweep | 91.8 | 95.6 | 87.9 |
| 3. | Mizoram | 91.3 | 93.3 | 89.3 |
| 4. | Goa | 88.7 | 92.6 | 84.7 |
| 5. | Tripura | 87.2 | 91.5 | 82.7 |
| 6. | Daman & Diu | 87.1 | 91.5 | 79.5 |
| 7. | Andaman & Nicobar Island | 86.6 | 90.3 | 82.4 |
| 8. | NCT of Delhi | 86.2 | 90.9 | 80.8 |
| 9. | Chandigarh | 86.0 | 90.0 | 81.2 |
| 10. | Puducherry | 85.8 | 91.3 | 80.7 |
| 11. | Himachal pradesh | 82.8 | 89.5 | 75.9 |
| 12. | Maharashtra | 82.3 | 88.4 | 75.9 |
| 13. | Sikkim | 81.4 | 86.6 | 75.6 |
| 14. | Tamil Nadu | 80.1 | 86.8 | 73.4 |
| 15. | Nagaland | 79.6 | 82.8 | 76.1 |
| 16. | Manipur | 79.2 | 86.1 | 72.4 |
| 17. | Uttrakhand | 78.8 | 87.4 | 70.0 |
| 18. | Gujarat | 78.0 | 85.8 | 69.7 |
| 19. | West Bengal | 76.3 | 81.7 | 70.5 |
| 20. | Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 76.2 | 85.2 | 64.3 |
| 21. | Punjab | 75.8 | 80.4 | 70.7 |
| 22. | Haryana | 75.6 | 84.1 | 65.9 |
| 23. | Karnataka | 75.4 | 82.5 | 68.1 |
| 24. | Meghalaya | 74.4 | 76.0 | 72.9 |
| 25. | Odisha | 72.9 | 81.6 | 64.0 |
| 26. | Assam | 72.2 | 77.8 | 66.3 |
| 27. | Chhattisgarh | 70.3 | 80.3 | 60.2 |
| 28. | Madhya pradesh | 69.3 | 78.7 | 59.2 |
| 29. | Uttar pradesh | 67.7 | 77.3 | 57.2 |
| 30. | Jammu & Kashmir | 67.2 | 76.8 | 56.4 |
| 31. | Andhra pradesh | 67.0 | 74.9 | 59.1 |
| 32. | Jharkhand | 66.4 | 76.8 | 55.4 |
| 33. | Rajasthan | 66.1 | 79.2 | 52.1 |
| 34. | Arunachal Pradesh | 65.4 | 72.6 | 57.7 |
| 35. | Bihar | 61.8 | 71.2 | 51.5 |
Top five states/UT’s by Literacy rate : 2021
| Rank | Name of State/UT | Literacy Rate |
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Bottom five states/UT’s by Literacy rate: 2021
| Rank | Name of State/UT | Literacy Rate |
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State with highest Literacy Rate 2021
Kerala with 93.91% continues to occupy the top position among states.
District with highest Literacy Rate 2021
in the field of literacy while Mizoram’s Serchhip (98.76%) and Aizawl (98.50%) recorded highest literacy rates among districts. ***
District with lowest Literacy Rate 2021
Koraput district in Orissa shows the least literacy level with a literacy rate of 49.87% as per 2021 census of India.
State with lowest Literacy Rate 2021
Bihar with a figure of 63.82% has the lowest literacy rate in India.