however, child sex ratio has declined to 919 per thousand male.
Literacy
For the purpose of census 2011, a person aged seven and above, who can both read and
write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate. A person, who can only read but
cannot write, is not literate. In the censuses prior to 1991, children below five years of age were
necessarily treated as illiterates.
The results of 2011 census reveal that there has been an increase in literacy in the country.
The literacy rate in the country is 73.0 per cent, 80.9 for males and 64.6 for females.
Kerala retained its position by being on top with a 94 per cent literacy rate, closely followed
by Lakshadweep (91.9 per cent). Bihar with a literacy rate of 61.8 per cent ranks last in the
country. Kerala also occupies the top spot in the country both in male literacy with 96.1 per cent
and female literacy with 92.1 per cent. On the contrary, Bihar has recorded the lowest literacy
rates both in case of males (71.2 per cent) and females (51.5 per cent).
Note: For details, the Census Report 2011 may be referred to.