According to Census 2011, which state had the lowest literacy rate?

According to Census 2011, Bihar had the lowest literacy rate among Indian states, at 61.80%. Its male literacy rate was about 71.2%, and its female literacy rate was about 51.5%, the lowest female literacy rate in the country.

In the Census, a person aged seven years or above who can both read and write with understanding in any language is treated as literate. The literacy rate is calculated as the percentage of literates in the population aged seven and above.

India's overall literacy rate in 2011 was 74.04%, up from 64.83% in 2001. The male literacy rate was 82.14% and the female literacy rate 65.46%, showing a gender gap of about 16.7 percentage points. However, female literacy increased faster than male literacy during 2001-2011.

States and UTs with the highest literacy rates (Census 2011):

• Kerala: 94.00%, the highest among states.
• Lakshadweep: 91.85%, the highest among Union Territories.
• Mizoram: 91.33%.
• Goa: 88.70%.
• Tripura: 87.22%.

States with the lowest literacy rates (Census 2011):

• Bihar: 61.80%.
• Arunachal Pradesh: 65.38%.
• Rajasthan: 66.11%; it had a very low female literacy rate (52.12%).
• Jharkhand: 66.41%.
• Among Union Territories, Dadra and Nagar Haveli had the lowest literacy rate (76.24%).

Government programmes to improve literacy include the National Literacy Mission (1988), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (2001), the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (now PM POSHAN) and the Right to Education Act (2009). The New India Literacy Programme (ULLAS), launched in 2022 for adults, aims at full literacy. In 2025, Mizoram was declared the first fully functionally literate state under ULLAS, followed by Goa, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh; the UT of Ladakh had been declared in 2024. International Literacy Day is observed on 8 September.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Arunachal Pradesh had the second-lowest literacy rate (65.38%).
• ✗Rajasthan had 66.11%.
• ✗Jharkhand had 66.41%.