India: Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 2.57 percentage points from 94.77% in 2019. Since 1981 it is up 43.56 percentage points from 53.78% in 1981. The World Bank has no value for 29 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.83 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.79 percentage points in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.77 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 85% of the movement over 8 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, India had the 16th highest value of the 21 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to India in the 2024 ranking

• Paraguay — 13th of 21: 98.62%
• El Salvador — 14th of 21: 98.24%
• Dominican Republic — 15th of 21: 98.21%
• South Africa — 17th of 21: 97.17%
• Honduras — 18th of 21: 95.77%
• Guatemala — 19th of 21: 95.36%

What this measures

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

Limitations: In practice, literacy is difficult to measure. Estimating literacy rates requires census or survey measurements under controlled conditions. Many countries report the number of literate people from self-reported data. Some use educational attainment data as a proxy but apply different lengths of school attendance or levels of completion. And there is a trend among recent national and international surveys toward using a direct reading test of literacy skills. Because definitions and methods of data collection differ across countries, data should be used cautiously.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 15 values

Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 93.45% (2022)
• Maldives — 98.74% (2019)
• Sri Lanka — 98.87% (2024)

More education data for India

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 11 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 126.12 million (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 111.03% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 110.61% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 111.42% (2025)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.02 (2021)
• Secondary education, pupils — 133.16 million (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is India's literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24)?

97.34% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is up 43.56 percentage points from 53.78% in 1981. The highest value was 97.34% in 2024 and the lowest 53.78% in 1981.

How does India rank?

16th highest of 21 economies with data for 2024.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ADT.1524.LT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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