States ranked by literacy rate
Literacy in the census means being able to read and write with understanding, measured across everyone aged 7 and above. No schooling is required to be counted as literate, so this is a lower bar than formal education.
| # | State or UT | States ranked by litera… | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kerala | 94.00% | 33,406,061 |
| 2 | Lakshadweep | 91.85% | 64,473 |
| 3 | Mizoram | 91.33% | 1,097,206 |
| 4 | Goa | 88.70% | 1,458,545 |
| 5 | Tripura | 87.22% | 3,673,917 |
| 6 | Daman and Diu | 87.10% | 243,247 |
| 7 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 86.63% | 380,581 |
| 8 | Delhi | 86.21% | 16,787,941 |
| 9 | Chandigarh | 86.05% | 1,055,450 |
| 10 | Puducherry | 85.85% | 1,247,953 |
| 11 | Himachal Pradesh | 82.80% | 6,864,602 |
| 12 | Maharashtra | 82.34% | 112,374,333 |
| 13 | Sikkim | 81.42% | 610,577 |
| 14 | Tamil Nadu | 80.09% | 72,147,030 |
| 15 | Nagaland | 79.55% | 1,978,502 |
| 16 | Uttarakhand | 78.82% | 10,086,292 |
| 17 | Gujarat | 78.03% | 60,439,692 |
| 18 | Manipur | 76.94% | 2,855,794 |
| 19 | West Bengal | 76.26% | 91,276,115 |
| 20 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 76.24% | 343,709 |
| 21 | Punjab | 75.84% | 27,743,338 |
| 22 | Haryana | 75.55% | 25,351,462 |
| 23 | Karnataka | 75.36% | 61,095,297 |
| 24 | Meghalaya | 74.43% | 2,966,889 |
| 25 | Odisha | 72.87% | 41,974,218 |
| 26 | Assam | 72.19% | 31,205,576 |
| 27 | Chhattisgarh | 70.28% | 25,545,198 |
| 28 | Madhya Pradesh | 69.32% | 72,626,809 |
| 29 | Uttar Pradesh | 67.68% | 199,812,341 |
| 30 | Jammu and Kashmir | 67.16% | 12,541,302 |
| 31 | Andhra Pradesh | 67.02% | 84,580,777 |
| 32 | Telangana | 66.46% | 35,193,978 |
| 33 | Jharkhand | 66.41% | 32,988,134 |
| 34 | Rajasthan | 66.11% | 68,548,437 |
| 35 | Arunachal Pradesh | 65.38% | 1,383,727 |
| 36 | Bihar | 61.80% | 104,099,452 |
Questions about this ranking
Kerala, at 94.00 per cent according to the Census of India 2011.
Lakshadweep, at 91.85 per cent.
All figures come from the Census of India 2011, the most recent completed census. Nothing here is estimated or projected forward.
They describe 2011. Populations have grown since, unevenly, and many states have created new districts by splitting old ones, so a district in this table may no longer exist with the same boundary.
Union territories range from single cities to island groups, so they sit at both extremes of most of these tables. The census counts them alongside states, which is why they appear here.
Source: Census of India 2011. Figures are reproduced as published. Read more on our about the data page, and see the glossary for what these measures mean.