Indian States & UTs
Literacy Rate — Complete Data
India's literacy story is one of remarkable progress — from a mere 18.3% at Independence in 1947 to over 80.9% today. Yet behind this national average lies a deeply uneven landscape: some states rival European literacy standards, while others still struggle with nearly one in three citizens unable to read or write.
This post presents the complete state-wise and UT-wise literacy data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023–24, the most recent authoritative source, along with historical trends, gender gaps, and regional analysis.
📊 Key National Statistics
As per the PLFS 2023–24 report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), here are the headline figures for India's literacy landscape:
"India has crossed the 80% literacy mark for the first time in its history, yet the 25.6 percentage point gap between the best and worst performing states remains a critical challenge for policymakers." — PLFS Annual Report 2023–24, MoSPI, Government of India
🗺️ All 36 States & UTs — Complete Ranked List
The table below ranks all Indian states and union territories from highest to lowest literacy rate based on PLFS 2023–24 data. Rows are colour-coded: green = 90%+, amber = 75–90%, red = below 75%.
| Rank | State / UT | Total % | Male % | Female % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mizoram BEST | 98.2 | 98.7 | 97.7 |
| 2 | Lakshadweep UT | 97.3 | 98.0 | 96.5 |
| 3 | Nagaland | 95.7 | 97.0 | 94.4 |
| 4 | Kerala | 95.3 | 96.8 | 93.8 |
| 5 | Meghalaya | 94.2 | 95.1 | 93.3 |
| 6 | Chandigarh UT | 93.7 | 96.4 | 90.7 |
| 7 | Tripura | 93.7 | 95.6 | 91.7 |
| 8 | Goa | 93.6 | 97.0 | 90.0 |
| 9 | Puducherry UT | 92.7 | 95.2 | 90.3 |
| 10 | Manipur | 92.0 | 94.5 | 89.4 |
| 11 | Andaman & Nicobar UT | 91.1 | 95.0 | 87.0 |
| 12 | Himachal Pradesh | 88.8 | 94.6 | 83.1 |
| 13 | DNH & Daman Diu UT | 87.8 | 93.6 | 80.7 |
| 14 | Maharashtra | 87.3 | 91.8 | 82.5 |
| 15 | Assam | 87.0 | 90.3 | 83.6 |
| 16 | Delhi UT | 86.9 | 91.6 | 81.5 |
| 17 | Tamil Nadu | 85.5 | 89.8 | 81.1 |
| 18 | Haryana | 84.8 | 91.4 | 77.4 |
| 19 | Sikkim | 84.7 | 88.3 | 80.9 |
| 20 | Gujarat | 84.6 | 91.2 | 77.5 |
| 21 | Arunachal Pradesh | 84.2 | 88.0 | 80.3 |
| 22 | Uttarakhand | 83.8 | 91.2 | 76.4 |
| 23 | Punjab | 83.4 | 88.5 | 78.0 |
| 24 | Karnataka | 82.7 | 88.1 | 77.3 |
| 25 | West Bengal | 82.6 | 87.5 | 77.6 |
| 26 | Jammu & Kashmir UT | 82.0 | 89.6 | 73.8 |
| 27 | Ladakh UT | 81.0 | 87.2 | 74.1 |
| 28 | Odisha | 79.0 | 84.8 | 73.1 |
| 29 | Chhattisgarh | 78.5 | 86.2 | 70.6 |
| 30 | Uttar Pradesh | 78.2 | 85.4 | 70.6 |
| 31 | Telangana | 76.9 | 82.3 | 71.7 |
| 32 | Jharkhand | 76.7 | 82.8 | 70.6 |
| 33 | Rajasthan | 75.8 | 85.1 | 65.9 |
| 34 | Madhya Pradesh | 75.2 | 82.8 | 67.1 |
| 35 | Bihar | 74.3 | 82.3 | 66.1 |
| 36 | Andhra Pradesh LOWEST | 72.6 | 78.8 | 66.8 |
Source: Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2023–24, MoSPI, Government of India. Data for persons aged 7 years and above. UT = Union Territory.
📈 Visual Bar Chart — All States
A visual comparison of literacy rates across all states and UTs, from highest to lowest:
🧭 Regional Analysis
Northeast India — The Literacy Champions
The Northeast stands as India's most remarkable literacy success story. States like Mizoram (98.2%), Nagaland (95.7%), Meghalaya (94.2%), and Manipur (92.0%) consistently outperform even the economically prosperous southern states.
🌿 Why Northeast Excels
- Colonial-era missionary schools created a strong reading culture — churches taught literacy to enable scripture reading
- Matrilineal societies in Meghalaya prioritised female education equally
- Close-knit homogeneous communities with strong social value of education
- State governments built on this foundation with adult literacy programs and teacher incentives
- Mizoram achieves near-universal literacy even in remote rural areas (99% coverage)
South India — Strong but Uneven
South India presents a mixed picture. Kerala (95.3%) has long been India's literacy icon, backed by a strong public health-education model. Tamil Nadu (85.5%) and Goa (93.6%) perform well. However, Andhra Pradesh (72.6%) and Telangana (76.9%) — both Telugu-speaking states — are at the bottom of the national list, a stark contrast within the same region.
⚠️ Andhra Pradesh — The Lowest in the Nation
- Ranks 36th (last) among all states with just 72.6% literacy
- Female literacy at only 66.8% — among the lowest in India
- Frequent policy changes and curriculum shifts destabilise the system
- Six states including AP account for 60% of all illiterates in India
- Rural districts like Srikakulam, Vizianagaram face above-average illiteracy
North India / Hindi Heartland
The Hindi-speaking BIMARU states — Bihar (74.3%), Madhya Pradesh (75.2%), Rajasthan (75.8%), and Uttar Pradesh (78.2%) — occupy the bottom tier. Bihar, once India's most illiterate state for decades, has recently overtaken AP.
📌 Hindi Heartland Challenges
- High child labour rates in agricultural communities reduces school attendance
- Arid climate and sparse rural populations inflate per-student infrastructure costs
- Deep caste barriers mean many marginalised communities choose daily wages over school
- Female literacy particularly low: Rajasthan 65.9%, Bihar 66.1%
♀ Gender Gap Analysis
The gender literacy gap (Male % minus Female %) reveals where women face the greatest educational disadvantage. The national gap stands at 12.6 percentage points.
| State / UT | Male % | Female % | Gender Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan | 85.1 | 65.9 | 19.2 |
| Bihar | 82.3 | 66.1 | 16.2 |
| Uttarakhand | 91.2 | 76.4 | 14.8 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 78.8 | 66.8 | 12.0 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 82.8 | 67.1 | 15.7 |
| Jharkhand | 82.8 | 70.6 | 12.2 |
| India (National) | 87.2 | 74.6 | 12.6 |
| Tamil Nadu | 89.8 | 81.1 | 8.7 |
| Maharashtra | 91.8 | 82.5 | 9.3 |
| Mizoram | 98.7 | 97.7 | 1.0 |
| Meghalaya | 95.1 | 93.3 | 1.8 |
| Kerala | 96.8 | 93.8 | 3.0 |
🔵 Key Gender Findings
- Rajasthan has the widest gender gap at 19.2 percentage points
- Mizoram has the narrowest gap — just 1.0 point — nearly perfect gender equality in literacy
- National female literacy (74.6%) lags male (87.2%) by 12.6 points
- AP and Bihar both show female literacy stuck below 67%, well below the national average
- Northeast matrilineal societies (Meghalaya, Mizoram) show gender parity as cultural practice
🕰️ Historical Progress — India's Literacy Journey
India's literacy rate has grown from near-zero at the time of Independence to over 80% today — one of the most dramatic educational transformations in modern history.
📋 Census 2011 vs PLFS 2023–24 — How States Improved
Comparing Census 2011 and the latest PLFS 2023–24 data reveals which states have made the most progress in the last decade.
| State | Census 2011 | PLFS 2023–24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arunachal Pradesh | 65.4 | 84.2 | +18.8 |
| Assam | 72.2 | 87.0 | +14.8 |
| J & K | 67.2 | 82.0 | +14.8 |
| Bihar | 61.8 | 74.3 | +12.5 |
| Jharkhand | 66.4 | 76.7 | +10.3 |
| Chhattisgarh | 70.3 | 78.5 | +8.2 |
| Rajasthan | 66.1 | 75.8 | +9.7 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 67.0 | 72.6 | +5.6 |
| Kerala | 94.0 | 95.3 | +1.3 |
| Mizoram | 91.3 | 98.2 | +6.9 |
| India | 74.0 | 80.9 | +6.9 |
Notably, Arunachal Pradesh recorded the most dramatic improvement (+18.8 points), followed by Assam and J&K. Andhra Pradesh's improvement of only +5.6 points is among the slowest in the country.
🔴 Andhra Pradesh — A Special Focus
As the state with India's lowest literacy rate (72.6%), Andhra Pradesh deserves special attention. This is particularly striking given that AP is one of the larger southern states — a region historically associated with better educational outcomes.
⚠️ AP Literacy Facts
- Ranks 36th out of 36 states and UTs — dead last
- Male literacy: 78.8% · Female literacy: 66.8%
- Improved by only 5.6 points since Census 2011 — slowest growth
- AP along with 5 other states accounts for 60% of all illiterates in India
- Districts like Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Alluri Sitharama Raju are below state average
- Frequent policy changes and bifurcation disruptions post-2014 stalled progress
- High dropout rates in Class 8–10 due to agricultural labour demand in coastal districts
💡 What Drives High Literacy? Key Factors
🏛️ Key Government Schemes for Literacy
1. ULLAS — New India Literacy Programme (2022–27)
Targeting 5 crore adult non-literates aged 15 and above over five years. Focuses on foundational literacy, vocational skills, and digital literacy. Implemented through volunteers and schools on weekends.
2. Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
A unified school education programme covering pre-school to Class XII, replacing earlier schemes like SSA and RMSA. Aims to ensure quality education and reduce dropout rates, especially among girls and tribal children.
3. National Education Policy 2020
NEP 2020 mandates foundational literacy and numeracy for all children by Grade 3 as an urgent national priority. It also introduces mother-tongue medium instruction until Grade 5 to improve early comprehension and retention in states like AP, Bihar, and UP.
4. PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal Scheme)
With 120 million children receiving free lunches daily in government schools, this scheme is India's largest school nutrition programme and a key driver of enrolment and retention across low-literacy states.
All literacy rate data is sourced from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2023–24, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India. The data covers persons aged 7 years and above. Since no national Census has been conducted after 2011, PLFS data is the most current authoritative reference available. Some male/female breakdowns are approximate based on state-level published tables. This post is for educational and informational purposes only. Data may be revised in future surveys.
