India’s average literacy rate stands at 77.7%, according to the NSO. Kerala tops the list with the highest female literacy rate of 95.2%, while Rajasthan is the worst performing state with only 57.6% of its female population being literate.
Literacy rate definition
Literacy rate in a population refers to the percentage of literate individuals among persons aged seven and above. According to the 2011 Census, a person is considered as literate when they can read and write a simple message with understanding at least in any one language.
India: Female Literacy rate across five states
*NSS survey from July 2017 to June 2018. The literacy rate in % is among persons of age seven and above and includes rural + urban areas.
Indian states with the lowest female literacy rates
As per the NSS report, Rajasthan has the lowest number of literate females in the state, with the female literacy percentage for the state pegged at 57.6%. The other states that have recorded the lowest female literacy rates in India are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
Rajasthan: Lowest female literacy
The female literacy rate in the state is 57.6% putting the state in the lowest rung among all the states in India with regard to the number of educated females. The overall literacy percentage in the state of Rajasthan, combining female and male literacy rates, is 69.7%. The male literacy rate in the state is 80.8%. However when you consider the overall literacy rate and the male literacy rate, Rajasthan fares better than Andhra Pradesh that has the nationwide lowest figures.
Andhra Pradesh stands second
The female literacy rate for Andhra Pradesh is 59.5%, which is a bit higher than that of Rajasthan. However, when it comes to overall literacy percentage and male literacy percentage, Andhra Pradesh is the worst performer in the country with the scores of 66.4% and 73.4% respectively.
Bihar ranks as the third state with the low female literacy rate
The third member from the bottom with regard to female literacy percentage is Bihar scoring 60.5%. The state of Bihar has 79.7% male literacy rate and 70.9% overall literacy rate.
Uttar Pradesh is the fourth-worst performing state with respect to female literacy
Uttar Pradesh stands at the fourth rank in the country when it comes to poor female literacy rate, with 63.4%. The male literacy rate stands at 81.8% and the overall literacy percentage being 73%.
Jharkhand ranks fifth
The fifth lowest female literacy rate is found in Jharkhand with the state scoring 64.7%. The state has 83% of literate males with the overall literacy score in the state pegged at 74.3%.