SSC
According to Census 2011, the most literate district in India was:
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Answer: Option C — Serchhip, Mizoram
Detailed Solution
According to Census 2011, Serchhip district in Mizoram had the highest literacy rate among all districts of India, at about 97.9 per cent.
About Serchhip:
- It is located in central Mizoram, south of the capital Aizawl.
- It was created as a separate district in 1998.
- It also has a high proportion of literate women.
Literacy in Mizoram:
- Mizoram had a literacy rate of about 91.3 per cent in 2011, the second highest among states after Kerala.
- Aizawl district is also among the most literate districts of India.
- Under the New India Literacy Programme (ULLAS), Mizoram was declared the first fully literate state in May 2025.
Highest and lowest literacy (Census 2011):
- India's overall literacy rate: about 74.04 per cent (male 82.1 per cent, female 65.5 per cent).
- Highest literacy among states: Kerala (about 94 per cent).
- Highest among Union Territories: Lakshadweep (about 91.8 per cent).
- Lowest among states: Bihar (about 61.8 per cent).
- Lowest district: Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh (about 36 per cent).
- Highest female literacy: Kerala.
- Lowest female literacy: Rajasthan (about 52 per cent).
Highest literacy district outside the north-east: Pathanamthitta and Kottayam in Kerala, both above 96 per cent. Kottayam was declared India's first fully literate town in 1989.
Who is literate (Census definition):
A person aged seven years and above who can both read and write with understanding in any language is counted as literate.
Other Census 2011 facts:
- India's population: about 121 crore.
- Sex ratio: 943 females per 1,000 males (highest in Kerala, lowest in Haryana).
- Most populous state: Uttar Pradesh; least populous: Sikkim.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Pathanamthitta, Kerala, is among the most literate districts but ranks below Serchhip.
- ✗Aizawl, Mizoram, is also highly literate but ranks below Serchhip.
- ✗Kottayam, Kerala, was India's first fully literate town (1989).
Quick tip
Remember: most literate district (Census 2011) = Serchhip, Mizoram (about 97.9 per cent); least literate district = Alirajpur, MP; most literate state = Kerala; least literate state = Bihar.
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Population & Census — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Population & Census, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's population and the Census: population size and growth, density, sex ratio, literacy rate, urbanisation, and the most and least populous states, based on the Census of 2011, along with the basics of world population. Questions usually ask which state has the highest or lowest population, density, sex ratio or literacy, based on Census 2011. For example, Kerala had the highest literacy rate and sex ratio, and Bihar had the highest population density. The Census is conducted every ten years, so check whether newer data has been released before your exam. Practise the population and census questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.