Adequate and reliable data on spatial pattern of world literacy are not available. Even the United Nations has not prepared any map showing the spatial distribution of literacy in the world.
However, on the basis of the available data, it may be said that the continent of Africa has the lowest literacy rate.
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The females are particularly more illiterate in the developing countries. Next to Africa comes the continent of Asia where also the literacy rate is below 65 per cent in most of the countries.
The female literacy in Asia is also relatively low. There is a marked variation in rural and urban literacy also. The literacy rates in the Latin American countries are relatively higher. The continents of Europe, North America and Oceania have almost universal literacy rates.
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In India, according to the census of 2001, the literacy rate was 65.49 per cent. This, however, does not include the children below six years of age.
The highest literacy rate being 96.64 per cent was in Aizawl (Mizoram), while the lowest literacy rate was in Dantewada (Chhattisgarh) being 30.01 per cent. The male and female literacy rates were 75.85 and 54.16 per cent respectively.
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India is one of the least literate societies in the world. India’s seemingly large pool of technically educated and English-speaking manpower is deceptive and presents a misleading impression of the levels of education and literacy.
The decadal difference in literacy rates between 1991 and 2001 was 13.29 per cent. High literacy rates prevail in Kerala, Mizoram, Goa, Delhi and a few union territories.
However, even in 2001, literacy rates in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were below 55 per cent. Moreover, there are also gender disparities in literacy rate. In 2001, the lowest literacy rate was recorded in the state of Bihar where it was only 47.53 per cent.
A further discussion on the current situation (2011) with regard to literacy in India is also presented from towards the end of this chapter.
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The quality of education provided in India so far leaves much to be desired. For example, most people educated up to primary level revert to illiteracy soon after they drop out of school.
Sustained efforts thus need to be made to improve the quality of education, besides increasing overall levels of literacy.
The relatively low literacy rate in India may be attributed to the rigid caste system among Hindus, and the religious orthodoxy of the Muslims.
Among the Hindus, the Sudras (lower castes) were denied education as they were considered to be ‘untouchables’.
In case of females, factors such as poverty, unemployment, early marriage and prejudice against their mobility have kept them far behind their male counterparts in the matter of literacy and education.
The rural and urban differentials in the literacy rates in India emanate from the differences in the types of economy, social life and migration pattern of the two areas.