Adult literacy rate (age 7+)
VerifiedBefore (baseline)
64.8% of population aged 7+ who can read and write
as of 2001-03-01
Now (latest)
77.7% of population aged 7+ who can read and write
as of 2011-03-01
Over time
% of population aged 7+ who can read and write · source-verified data points only
Context & shortfalls
Literacy rose from 64.8% (2001) to 77.7% (2011 Census) — males 82.1%, females 65.5% in 2011. The 2021 Census has not published literacy data as of 2025 (delayed from COVID). NFHS-5 (2019-21) estimated literacy at ~75-76% for 6+ age group. 1981-1991 gains were driven by National Literacy Mission (1988). Gender literacy gap narrowed from 24.8 pp (1991) to 16.6 pp (2011) but remains large. States like Kerala (94%), Himachal Pradesh (83%), and Mizoram (91%) far outperform the national average.
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Source
Census of India — Office of the Registrar General of India
https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/ ↗Data as of 2011-03-01. Large national figures change frequently — verify at source before citing.