Statsguru: Nearly four out of five Indians are literate, shows govt data

One key reason for India's low growth is said to be low merchandise exports, which helped propel countries such as China and South Korea to prosperity

Around the time the country gained independence, an average Indian could only expect to live to their early thirties, and more than 80 per cent of the population was illiterate. The period since then has seen average life expectancy increase to around 70 years. Nearly four out of five Indians are literate, according to government data (charts 1, 2).


 

Much of this has coincided with higher economic growth, aided by democratic accountability. The per capita net national income, broadly a measure of an average Indian’s earnings, has increased from Rs. 12,493 in 1950-51 to Rs.