Literacy rate in India in 2024 — 78.16%. Ranked 25 in the world out of 29. Since 1981, the indicator has risen by 37.4 pp.
1981–2024 · % of population aged 15+
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: India
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 78.16 | −3.54 pp |
| 2023 | 81.7 | +5.38 pp |
| 2022 | 76.32 | +0.26 pp |
| 2021 | 76.06 | +0.53 pp |
| 2020 | 75.53 | +0.63 pp |
| 2019 | 74.89 | +1.21 pp |
| 2018 | 73.69 | — |
| 2012 | 69.83 | +0.53 pp |
| 2011 | 69.3 | +0.97 pp |
| 2010 | 68.33 | — |
| 2006 | 62.75 | — |
| 2001 | 61.01 | — |
| 1991 | 48.22 | — |
| 1981 | 40.76 | — |
The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages
Sri Lanka
92.74
India
78.16
The share of the population aged 15 and older able to read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. The UNESCO definition is deliberately minimal — it is the threshold of functional literacy, not an assessment of the quality of education. In most countries the data come from censuses and surveys, so they are updated irregularly.
Important: The series is incomplete: values are published only for the years in which a census or a literacy survey was conducted.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), license CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.
What share of their potential a child born today will manage to realize.
Education Population with tertiary educationWhat share of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education Primary completion rateWhat share of children reach the last grade of primary school.
Education Primary school enrollmentThe net enrollment rate: the share of children of school age attending primary school.