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Sex Ratio, Literacy and Social Indicators

Sex Ratio, Literacy and Social Indicators

Population and Society · 2 min read

Sex ratio

Sex ratio = number of females per 1,000 males (India's definition).

IndicatorValue (Census 2011)
India943
Highest stateKerala (1,084)
NextTamil Nadu (996), Andhra Pradesh (993), Chhattisgarh (991), Odisha (979)
Lowest stateHaryana (879)
Highest UTPuducherry (1,037)
Lowest UTDaman and Diu (618)
Child sex ratio, India919 (lowest in Haryana 834; Punjab 846)
Highest child sex ratioArunachal Pradesh and Mizoram or Meghalaya (about 970)
  • Reasons for imbalance: son preference, sex-selective abortion, and neglect of girls. The PCPNDT Act 1994 bans sex determination; the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme (2015) responds. NFHS-5 (2019-21) reports a sex ratio at birth around 929 and an overall sex ratio of 1,020 females per 1,000 males (survey figure, not census; check).

Literacy

  • Literate person: someone aged 7 and above who can read and write with understanding in any language.
  • Literacy 2011: 74.04 percent; male 82.14, female 65.46.
  • Highest literacy states: Kerala (about 94 percent), Mizoram (91.6), Goa, Tripura, Himachal. Highest UT: Lakshadweep (about 92).
  • Lowest states: Bihar (about 61.8), Arunachal Pradesh (65.4), Rajasthan (66.1), Jharkhand (66.4), Andhra Pradesh in the pre-division count.
  • Rural-urban: urban literacy is higher (about 84 percent) than rural (about 68 percent).
  • Gender gap: about 16.7 percentage points; Rajasthan has among the widest.
  • PLFS 2023-24 (government survey) puts the literacy rate (7 years and above) at about 80 percent; check the latest data. The NEP 2020 and PM e-Vidya, Samagra Shiksha, ULLAS (New India Literacy Programme, 2022) address learning.
  • International Literacy Day: 8 September. National Education Day: 11 November.
Literacy rate of Indian states, Census 2011Choropleth of literacy rate70°E75°E80°E85°E90°E95°E10°N15°N20°N25°N30°N35°NKerala 94.0Bihar 61.8Rajasthan 66.1Uttar Pradesh 67.7Mizoram 91.3Maharashtra 82.3Madhya Pradesh 69.3Gujarat 78.0Tamil Nadu 80.1Odisha 72.9Karnataka 75.4Jharkhand 66.4West Bengal 76.3Himachal 82.8Literacy rate, per cent (Census 2011)90 and above85 to 89.980 to 84.975 to 79.970 to 74.965 to 69.9Below 65J&K and Ladakh: undivided J&K figure of 2011. India: 74.04 per cent.about 500 kmNSchematic map, not to scale. Boundaries as per India's official position; use Survey of India maps for exact boundaries. JKEdusphere
Schematic literacy pattern: Kerala and the north-east on the high side; Bihar, Rajasthan and Jharkhand lower. Note that high literacy tracks female literacy in the south.

Other indicators

IndicatorNotes
Human Development Index (UNDP)India ranked about 130 of 193 (HDR 2023-24); Kerala is the top state in the national measure
NITI Aayog SDG India IndexKerala and Himachal Pradesh at the top, Bihar lowest, in many editions
Life expectancyAbout 70 years
Health surveysNFHS (National Family Health Survey), conducted by IIPS Mumbai; NFHS-5 in 2019-21
WorkforcePrimary sector employs the largest share

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Prepared for exam revision from NCERT, standard geography textbooks, the Census of India 2011, the India State of Forest Report, IMD, Ministry of Agriculture and other official sources. Maps are schematic teaching maps, not Survey of India maps, and zone boundaries are approximate. Figures such as production, capacity, counts of parks and ports, and census status change, so check the latest official source before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.