Literacy: State below national average

The rural-urban literacy gap in the State, which was 21.25 percentage points in 2001, has come down to 17.35 percentage points in 2011.

As per the Census of India’s 2011 Provisional Population Totals of Rural-Urban Distribution, the All India rural-urban literacy gap, which was 21.2 percentage points in 2001, has come down to 16.1 percentage points in 2011.

The rural literacy rate in the State was 59.33 per cent in 2001 and has improved to 68.86 per cent in 2011. The urban literacy rate, which was 80.58 per cent in 2001, has climbed to 86.21 per cent.

Dakshina Kannada, with a rural literacy rate of 85.34 per cent, tops the chart, followed by Udupi (83.91 pc) and Uttara Kannada (81.22 pc).

At the bottom of the list lies Yadgir with a rural literacy rate of 47.47 per cent. The rural-urban literacy gap in the district is a worrying 25.51.

The gender gap in literacy has come down from 22.44 in 2001 to 18.32 in 2011 in rural areas and from 12.54 in 2001 to 8.83 in 2011 in urban areas.