India's Fully Literate States: Himachal Pradesh Becomes The Latest To Achieve The Feat

Himachal Pradesh has become the fourth ‘fully literate’ state in the country. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday announced that the state has achieved the “fully literate” status.

The literacy rate in the state currently stands at 99.3% compared to the national benchmark of 95%, the CM said.

CM Sukhu noted that Himachal Pradesh accomplished this target ahead of the planned timeline. He outlined that the State’s progress from a modest literacy level of barely 7% in 1947 to achieving complete literacy was marked by numerous hurdles.  

The announcement was made at an event in Shimla on the occasion of International Literary Day.

Himachal Pradesh has achieved this feat, becoming the fourth state after Goa, Tripura and Mizoram. Among the Union Territories, Ladakh achieved this status in June 2024.

Himachal Pradesh has been declared fully literate under the centrally sponsored literacy programme ULLAS. As per the guidelines under the programme, any state achieving an over 95% literacy rate is considered a ‘fully literate’ state. Apart from the reading and writing ability, a learner needs to acquire financial and digital literacy, as per the programme.

 On the occasion of International Literacy Day, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who also virtually addressed the event organised in Shimla, outlined that the country’s literacy rate had improved from 74% in 2011 to 80.9% in 2023-24.

In May 2025, Mizoram became the first fully literate state in India. According to a PIB release, the state’s literacy rate stood at 98.2% based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PFLS) survey data for 2023-24. However, Mizoram stood at third rank among all states with a literacy rate of 91.33%, as per the 2011 Census.

Goa was the second state to achieve full literacy under the ULLAS - Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme) initiative. In May, the state was declared fully literate after its literacy rate surpassed the 95% benchmark, according to a PIB release.  

Tripura became the third state, after Mizoram and Goa, to achieve full literacy status. In June 2025, the state was declared fully literate as it achieved a literacy rate of 95.6%.

Among the Union Territories, Ladakh is the only UT that has achieved this status. In June 2024, Ladakh achieved this coveted status after registering a literacy rate of 97%.