How India measures literacy
Literacy rates are rising fast in India. But how literacy is defined matters, as does the manner in which surveys on literacy are conducted, resulting in some illiterate people being missed from official statistics
Latest
Malaria in India
India has made large strides in reducing the annual incidence of malaria and deaths from the disease. However, malaria remains a major public health challenge, particularly in central and eastern states, and among young children
Measuring malaria
Accurately estimating the incidence and mortality from diseases in India, including malaria, is challenging. We lay out the available data sources and explain our reasons behind using selected sources
ICT skills
Most Indians can send messages, but far fewer have the information and communications technology (ICT) skills needed to do calculations, make presentations or write code. There are large gaps between rural and urban Indians, and between men and women.
Population projections and their track record
Between censuses, and to plan for the future, countries rely on population projections. Understanding how these projections are made, as well as their past successes and failures, is vital
The economies of Indian states
India's states differ from each other not only in the sizes of their populations, but also in the sizes of their economies. While all states are growing, the rate of growth varies significantly between regions
Access to toilets in India
India has made major strides in improving sanitation, but one in four rural households still does not have access to toilets
Maternal mortality in India
From having maternal mortality rates well above the world average two decades ago, India has seen a sharp fall in the risk of death during pregnancy. Yet, regional disparities exist, and India is some distance from meeting international commitments
Vehicle ownership in India
Two-wheeler ownership has become more widespread in India, but car ownership is relatively low and concentrated among some groups
Access to electricity
Access to electricity in India is now nearly universal - in 2000, only 60% of the population had access to electricity. By 2021, this figure had risen to 99.6%.
Household spending in India
Consumption expenditure, an important indicator of living standards, has risen steadily, and the share of spending on food has declined sharply
Measuring consumption expenditure
Consumption expenditure data is vital to the understanding of living standards in India. The latest official data offers a new window, but has also seen key changes in methodology
Higher education
Enrolment in higher education has grown relatively slowly in India, and large regional and gender gaps persist
Education levels in India
Over time, the share of the population that is illiterate has declined sharply. But few Indians go on to get a higher education.
Literacy in India
India is nearing universal literacy, and historic gaps between socio-economic groups are narrowing
Enrolment in education
Independent India has brought almost every Indian child into school. But there's still a long way to go with higher education
Economy
Trade
Software service exports in particular have transformed the nature of international trade between India and the world
Population
Mother's age at childbirth
The majority of births every year in India are to women in their twenties. But as family sizes decline, the age at which women have their children is changing in unusual ways
DFI Updates
Introducing Data For India
We built Data For India to expand everyone’s understanding of India through the data. We're beginning with six key socio-economic verticals - insights, charts and access to the underlying data
Measurement
Measuring Mortality
Why is it so difficult to accurately estimate how many people die every year, and of what?
Health
India's disease transition
India is in the midst of a key public health transition, with communicable diseases now accounting for a falling share of deaths
Health
Anaemia in India
India has higher than expected levels of anaemia. Could measurement be part of the explanation?
Living Conditions
Access to drinking water
Most Indians now have access to clean drinking water, but progress on tap water has been slower.
Work
Employment in India
Who is in India’s labour force, who is out of it, what work people in the labour force do, and who is unemployed
Economy
The move away from agriculture
As countries industrialise and grow, the contribution of agriculture to the economy starts to fall. But the pathways from there on are diverse, and India is in some ways unique.
Measurement
Measuring employment and unemployment
What is work in Indian statistics, how is work captured, and who is defined as unemployed
Economy
GDP and per capita income
India's economy is now the fifth largest in the world and is growing faster than most comparable countries. At the individual level, however, it is some distance from the world's richest countries.
Work
Women and work in India
Many women are out of India's paid workforce. But they're working - just not in the same ways as men.
Living Conditions
Access to phones and the internet
The last two decades have seen a massive increase in the number of mobile phone connections in India. But not everyone uses phones and the internet in the same way.
Population
Mortality in India
Over the last 50 years, India has radically lowered the risk of dying young
Population
Population growth in India
After decades of growing faster than the world, India's population growth has slowed down dramatically
