Literacy for All: India's progress and the gaps that remain

The brief in 5 cards

1. Context1 / 5

   A recent government factsheet reviewed India's progress towards literacy for all and its place in the goal of Viksit Bharat.

   The Ministry of Education uses a broad idea of literacy: people should be able to read, write and calculate with understanding, interpret and communicate information, and use life skills such as digital and financial literacy. For its programme, the Ministry treats 95% literacy in a State or Union Territory as “full literacy.” This is an operational benchmark, not a claim that every person can read.

   Literacy helps people find work, use public services, understand their rights, take part in the economy and learn new skills. It can strengthen women's ability to make choices. Today, being literate involves understanding and using information in daily life, not just signing a name.

2. Key highlights2 / 5

   India's literacy figures show progress and persistent gaps.

   • 1951 Census: 18.32% literacy.
   • 2011 Census: 74.04% literacy.
   • Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025: 81.1% overall literacy.

   These figures show a long-term rise, but the two Census figures and the PLFS figure come from different surveys and should not be read as one identical statistical series.

   In PLFS 2025, for people aged 7 years and above, urban literacy was 89% and rural literacy was 77.4%. Within rural areas, male literacy was 84.8% and female literacy was 70.3%.

   The next task is to close regional, rural–urban and gender gaps as well as raise the national average.

3. Key concepts3 / 5

   Entering school and learning are different steps.

   The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025–26 recorded more than 24.72 crore school students. At the secondary stage, the gross enrolment ratio (GER) was 71.7%, the dropout rate was 7%, and retention stood at 51.9%.

   Enrolment means a child enters school. Retention means the child remains in the education system. A transition rate measures movement from one stage of education to the next. A learning outcome asks whether the child gained the expected skills. These measures answer different questions.

   Think of a train journey: getting on is enrolment, staying aboard is retention, changing to the next line is transition, and arriving with the knowledge you set out to gain is learning. A high enrolment count alone cannot show how well children learn.

4. Way forward4 / 5

   Four major education initiatives

   ULLAS / New India Literacy Programme serves people aged 15 years and above who did not become literate. It covers basic reading and numeracy, practical life skills, work-related skills and continuing education. It aims to reach 5 crore learners during 2022–27. About 4.03 crore learners had registered by the reported date. It uses community and digital approaches; learning is not exclusively online.

   NIPUN Bharat, launched in 2021, focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) among young children: reading with understanding and using basic numbers. Its official mission goal is proficiency by the end of Grade 3 by 2026–27.

   Samagra Shiksha brings together school access, equity, better learning, teacher development, inclusion and vocational education.

   PM SHRI plans more than 14,500 model schools to demonstrate practices under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. By July 2026, 13,092 had been selected.

5. Note5 / 5

   Why literacy matters for Viksit Bharat

   Literacy can improve work, productivity, skill development and the ability to use new technology. It also supports women's empowerment, financial inclusion, health awareness and public participation. As jobs, banking and public services move online, digital literacy becomes part of the ability to use knowledge in everyday life.

   India can close remaining gaps by focusing support on rural areas, women and communities that lag; helping children stay in secondary school; measuring learning as well as enrolment; strengthening adult and lifelong education; and teaching practical digital and financial skills.

   The goal goes beyond asking whether a person can read and write. It also asks whether that person can understand, keep learning, take part in society and use knowledge to improve life. That is the shift from basic literacy towards functional capability and stronger human capital.

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