This article on 15 Most Educated States in India focuses on finding out which of the states in India have excelled in providing intellectual capital that has helped the nation become an emerging superpower. India’s economy has consistently grown at a steady pace (it has grown by more than 5% for the most of the decade), and its service sector has accounted for more than 55% of the GDP. To develop such a strong services sector and to be called one of the most preferred outsourcing hubs in the world, India needed to have a highly skilled workforce.
Creating such a workforce requires a strong education system. A discussion on Indian education system would be incomplete without talking about its illustrious history, and also without talking about the Gurukul (which means place of Teacher) system of education. These Gurukuls were primarily funded by donations from the rich in the society and as such they made education accessible to rich and poor alike. Takshshila, (which translates as City of Cut Stone) a part of Pre-independent India and located near Rawalpindi in Pakistan, in the North India was a well known and fully developed education centre many centuries before Common Era (BCE). But since there is no evidence of formally set up colleges in this place, it is debatable whether Takshashila should be considered a university. However, historians do agree that this place was the a centre where students came to learn highly specialised subjects like political sciences, law, medicine, etc. There was nothing formal about this place, in a sense that there was no formal syllabus, no formal colleges, and no stipulated fees for learning and more importantly no set timelines for any course. It was Freedom of Education in a true sense. Takshashila indeed contributed greatly to the overall prosperity of India of that era. Nalanda World University, the first known large university in the recorded history was established as far back as 500 AD and existed for nearly 800 years. Nalanda, located in the state of Bihar, enrolled students not only from India but also from countries like China. It had a massive infrastructure with the capacity to accommodated 10,000 students and 2000 teachers, which gives a student to staff ratio of 5. (according to a recently published report Harvard University has student to staff ratio of 8.9)
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The modern education system in India was primarily based on the system established by the British during their tenure as India’s rulers. A student generally enrols in the primary school with 4 grades at the age of 5. The secondary school education is from 5th to 10th grade at the end of which successful students earn Secondary School Certificate. After 10th grade, a student can opt for Higher Secondary education which lasts two years and is available in arts, commerce or science. Students can also opt for technical diploma courses after 10th grade which are three years programs. After 12th or after HSC, based on the students marks, its performance in various entrance test exams and other things, they can opt for graduation programs like engineering (four years program), medical (4-5 years), or graduation programs in fields like science, commerce, arts, and management. The post graduations programs are normally last 2-3 years which include masters or post graduation diplomas. Some postgraduates do further research and specialisation in subjects of their choice and obtain doctorates or PhDs in those subjects.
Lack of education or lack of proper livelihood (among other reasons) can be devastating as it can be seen our article on 15 most Suicidal Cities in India.
While creating the list of the most educated states in India, we have relied on the authentic data provided in by Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, a Central Ministry under Government of India, which deals with managing statistical data about various areas of national Importance. This ministry also undertakes program implementation under various schemes by Government of India. MOSPI has published research data on a number of post graduates per state. All 28 states and 7 union territories (generally called states under this article) were considered in the ranking. Union territories are considered separately as these don’t fall under any of the states. The numbers are presented in a number of postgraduates per million of population form.
We would like to state that while employment results from education, regardless of how welcomed they are, aren’t a primary goal and learning and not employment are primary objectives of a good education system. Similarly, though educated societies are more prosperous, measuring prosperity as a function of education is not easy and would require extensive research to establish the relationship. Hence these two parameters are not considered while ranking the states, although a correlation between this list and the list of 15 most Suicidal Cities in India should be interesting to see.
Following equation was used to calculate rankings score for each state.
SR= 50%SP+30%SM+20%SPG
SR – Final Ranking Score
SPG - Score based on number of Post Graduates excluding PHDs and MPhils
SM – Score based on Total Number of MPhils
SP – Score based on Total number of PhDs
The following information is provided for each state
Total- Total Number of Post Graduates in the state per million of population
PG- Total Number of Post Graduates, excluding MPhil and PhD
MPhil- Total Number of MPhils in the state
PhDs- Total Number of PhDs in the state
According to this methodology most educated states in India are:
15. Jammu and Kashmir
| Total | 2612 |
| PG (excluding MPhil and PHDs) | 409 |
| MPHIL | 4 |
| PHD | 5 |
This Northernmost state is called Heaven on Earth. Its snow-capped mountains are among some of the most scenic landscapes in India. This small state has 7 universities of which the University of Kashmir, established in 1949, is the oldest and is situated near the beautiful Dal Lake. For this conflict-ridden state, to have more post graduates per million of population than even states like Maharashtra (which is much larger and much more developed) should be considered a major achievement.
14. Haryana
| Total | 3481 |
| PG | 329 |
| MPHIL | 3 |
| PHD | 9 |
This northern state has more PGs than Andhra Pradesh and edges past it based on more MPhils. Kurukshetra, a district in Haryana, is the place where the battle of Mahabharata (described in an epic written many centuries BCE). This is the same place where it is said that Bhagavad Gita, (which means song of the God), one of most sacred and spiritually deep scripture on many aspects of life was born.
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13. Kerala
| Total | 2084 |
| PG | 263 |
| MPHIL | 2 |
| PHD | 11 |
For its scenic and mesmerising landscape, Kerala is called God’s own Country. Though tourism is the primary industry in Kerala, it also holds the distinction of being the first 100% literate state in India. Kerala has 8 universities and various other higher education institutions.
12. Andhra Pradesh
| Total | 3303 |
| PG | 495 |
| MPHIL | 1 |
| PHD | 9 |
Southern states in India generally invest a lot in education and this state is no exception with a high number of postgraduates and PhDs per million. This has helped the state attract many multinational companies which have set up their base here. It is home to some of the biggest names in the IT industry. Its capital Hyderabad is sometimes referred to as Cyberabad due to a high number of IT companies.
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11. Karnataka
| Total | 2956 |
| PG | 390 |
| MPHIL | 1 |
| PHD | 12 |
This highly educated and highly developed state has its capital at Bangalore, which is referred to as Silicon Valley of India. Home to many IT majors, this state also has attracted many manufacturing industries. Sir M. Visvesvaraya, an eminent engineer whose work is recognised far and beyond India, was born in this state. His birthday is celebrated in India as Engineer’s Day, for his contributions to the field of engineering. Karnataka also has many prestigious education Institutes like Indian Institute of Management and Indian Institute of Science.
10. Mizoram
| Total | 2495 |
| PG | 236 |
| MPHIL | 5 |
| PHD | 13 |
This northeast state of India, although somewhat isolated from the rest of the country, has managed quite a feat of having more PhDs per million than even states like Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh, which are far more developed. According to a report published by McKinsey Global Institute, this state has one of the smallest gender gaps in India.
9. Himachal Pradesh
| Total | 2585 |
| PG | 334 |
| MPHIL | 6 |
| PHD | 12 |
Shimla, the beautiful state capital of Himachal Pradesh, used to be the summer capital of India during the British rule. In recent years, the state has gone through a major economic revival.
8. Arunachal Pradesh
| Total | 2227 |
| PG | 196 |
| MPHIL | 5 |
| PHD | 18 |
Another Northeast India state, Arunachal Pradesh has a high percentage of PhDs among its population. Central Government is focussed on developing these remote parts of India by providing more aid in terms of resources and infrastructure. This has helped states like Arunachal Pradesh considerably, making it number 8th in our list of 15 most educated states in India.
7. Sikkim
| Total | 2991 |
| PG | 658 |
| MPHIL | 11 |
| PHD | 3 |
Sikkim is one of the smaller states in India. But it has not deterred it from excelling in many fields like sports and arts. This state has a high number of postgraduates (excluding MPhils and PhDs). Only Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh have more than Sikkim. Sikkim has 11 institutions of higher education, covering a variety of areas like Tibetology, social sciences and handicrafts.
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6. Uttrakhand
| Total | 3941 |
| PG | 544 |
| MPHIL | 0 |
| PHD | 22 |
Uttarakhand is a relatively new state in India, formed in 2000. It is located in the northern part of India. Uttarakhand is also an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus as four most sacred shrines are located in this state. This state climbed so high on this list of 15 most educated states in India, due to a high percentage of PhDs as well as a high number of postgraduates.
5. Manipur
| Total | 3045 |
| PG | 128 |
| MPHIL | 0 |
| PHD | 31 |
Another north-eastern state on our list. Though this state’s economy is based on cottage industries, Manipur has made long strides in education. Its literacy rate (79.85%) is among highest in India. Manipur is often referred to as Switzerland of India for its scenic landscape and forests.
4. Puducherry
| Total | 4424 |
| PG | 920 |
| MPHIL | 1 |
| PHD | 29 |
Puducherry or popularly known as Pondicherry is a union territory in southern India. It has a strong French influence as it remained a French colony until it was merged with independent India in 1954 (though officially it became part of India only in 1962). According to a survey published in 2013 by IndiaToday, University of Puducherry was ranked among the top 10 universities in India. Puducherry has a very high number of postgraduates and very high number of PhDs per million.
3. Tamil Nadu
| Total | 4309 |
| PG | 665 |
| MPHIL | 18 |
| PHD | 18 |
Tamil Nadu in the southern India is known for its high industrialisation, magnificent temples and high human development index. According to the report by Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation this state has the highest number of factories in India. The state also has given India some of the best talents like CV Raman (earned Nobel for Physics in 1930), Former President and Scientist APJ Abdul Kalam (popularly known as Missile man of India), Vishwanathan Anand (Chess Champion) and Sundar Pichai (the current CEO of Google Inc.)
2. Delhi
| Total | 4763 |
| PG | 571 |
| MPHIL | 29 |
| PHD | 47 |
Delhi, the National Capital of India, is ranked 2nd in our list as it scored high in all the parameters. It has a very high number of PhDs per million. Delhi University is among the best in not only India but also in the world. The presence of the government system and the strategic geographic location has certainly helped Delhi in becoming one of the most educated states in India.
1. Chandigarh
| Total | 7159 |
| PG | 1638 |
| MPHIL | 36 |
| PHD | 76 |
Chandigarh was planned by famous Architect Le Corbusier and it the first planned city in India. It is a state capital for both Punjab and Haryana. The main university in Chandigarh is Punjab University. According to the official count of Government of Chandigarh, every year 145 PhDs graduate from Punjab University. Chandigarh has maintained its dominance in various areas of socio-economic development like being the best in Human Development Index or being named as one of the top 10 cities with most forest cover. Chandigarh scored much higher than all the other states in India in each aspect of our ranking system making it the most Educated State in India on our list.
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