About International Literacy Day
International Literacy Day is UNESCO's day for reading and writing, held on 8 September since 1967. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday, 8 September 2027. It grew out of a world congress of education ministers held in Tehran in 1965, and in India it is marked by literacy missions, schools and volunteers who teach adults. India's literacy rate for people aged seven and above was 80.9 per cent in the Periodic Labour Force Survey of 2023-24.
Literacy in India is measured more loosely than most people assume, and that single fact changes how the numbers on 8 September should be read.
Why is International Literacy Day on 8 September?
The date comes from a meeting. The World Congress of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy met in Tehran from 8 to 19 September 1965, and the opening day was taken as the date for a world literacy day. UNESCO's General Conference, at its 14th session in 1966, formally proclaimed 8 September as International Literacy Day, and the first one was marked in 1967.
UNESCO still leads it, sets a theme each year and gives its international literacy prizes on or around the date. The figure it uses now is stark: at least 739 million young people and adults worldwide lack basic literacy skills.
What is India's literacy rate?
India's literacy rate for people aged seven and above was 80.9 per cent in the Periodic Labour Force Survey for 2023-24. The 2011 Census had recorded about 74 per cent. The gaps inside that national figure matter more than the figure itself.
| Group | Literacy rate, PLFS 2023-24 |
|---|---|
| All persons aged 7 and above | 80.9% |
| Urban | 88.9% |
| Rural | 77.5% |
| Men | 87.2% |
| Women | 74.6% |
That is why school surveys are read alongside the literacy rate. ASER 2024, which covered rural districts across the country, found that 23.4 per cent of Class 3 children in government schools could read a Class 2 level text, up from 16.3 per cent in 2022 and the highest the survey has recorded. The improvement is real. The level is still low, and it is the reason foundational reading has become the focus of school policy.
How has India tried to raise literacy?
India's most quoted literacy story is from Kerala. Ernakulam district was declared India's first fully literate district in February 1990 after a campaign run largely by volunteers, many of them students and teachers working with the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad. Kerala was declared the country's first fully literate state in April 1991. UNESCO published a study of how Ernakulam did it.
The national efforts that followed:
- National Literacy Mission, 1988. Took the district campaign model nationwide, with volunteer teachers and short, intensive drives.
- Saakshar Bharat, from 2009. Focused on adult women, since the gap between men's and women's literacy was the widest single gap in the data.
- ULLAS, the New India Literacy Programme, 2022 to 2027. Teaches people aged 15 and above who missed school. Learners are taught by volunteers, often schoolteachers and college students, and take a Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test.
Under ULLAS a state is declared fully functionally literate when literacy among those aged 15 and above crosses 95 per cent. Mizoram was declared first, then Goa, and Tripura became the third in June 2025.
What should you write on International Literacy Day?
If the message is for an adult learner, the form matters as much as the words. Write in their language, in short lines, and expect that someone may read it aloud to them. If the message is for a teacher or volunteer, name the person they taught.
Aapne itni der se shuru kiya aur phir bhi kar dikhaya. Reading your first full page took courage. Congratulations on International Literacy Day.
On International Literacy Day, thank you for the evening classes after your own working day. Three people can sign their own name now because you turned up.
Happy International Literacy Day. Teaching a child to read is slow, unglamorous work, and it changes everything that comes after it.
Happy Literacy Day, Aaji. Watching you read the bus board out loud last week made our whole month.
On International Literacy Day, well done on the adult class that stayed full all year. Getting people to come back week after week is the hard part.
Happy International Literacy Day. Your boxes of books ended up in a village library that had four shelves and no stock. They are full now.
On International Literacy Day, we are thanking the people who taught us to read. Put your first teacher's name in the thread if you remember it.
Do
- Write in the reader's own language, in simple words and short sentences.
- Use large, clear letters on a printed card for a new reader.
- If you want to do something, ask a nearby school or literacy centre what they need; usually it is volunteers, not stationery.
Avoid
- Don't post photographs of adult learners writing or signing without their permission.
- Don't joke about adult illiteracy or about someone's spelling on this day.
- Avoid quoting a literacy figure without saying which survey and year it came from.
For schooling as a right, see International Day of Education on 24 January. For books and reading, see World Book and Copyright Day, for the people who do the teaching, Teachers' Day, and for reading in one's own language, International Mother Language Day.
How to wish someone on International Literacy Day
On 8 September the person worth writing to is usually an adult learner or the volunteer who taught them. Write simply, in the reader's own language, in short sentences and large letters if it will be read aloud. Praise the effort of starting late rather than making a joke of it, and never post a photograph of an adult learner's signature or exam sheet without asking.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is International Literacy Day in 2026 and 2027?
International Literacy Day is on 8 Sept every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is International Literacy Day in 2027?
International Literacy Day 2027 falls on Wednesday, 8 September 2027.
Why is International Literacy Day celebrated on 8 September?
Because the World Congress of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy opened in Tehran on 8 September 1965. UNESCO's General Conference proclaimed the date as International Literacy Day at its 14th session in 1966, and the first observance was held in 1967.
What is India's literacy rate now?
India's literacy rate for people aged seven and above was 80.9 per cent in the Periodic Labour Force Survey of 2023-24, compared with about 74 per cent in the 2011 Census. Urban literacy was 88.9 per cent against 77.5 per cent in rural areas, and men's literacy was 87.2 per cent against 74.6 per cent for women.
Who is counted as literate in India?
The Census counts anyone aged seven or above who can read and write with understanding in any language as literate. No schooling, examination or certificate is required, which is why literacy figures are higher than the number of people who can comfortably read a form or a newspaper.
Which was India's first fully literate district and state?
Ernakulam in Kerala was declared India's first fully literate district in February 1990, after a volunteer-led campaign. Kerala became the first fully literate state in April 1991.
What is the ULLAS scheme?
ULLAS, also called the New India Literacy Programme, is the Government of India's adult literacy scheme running from 2022 to 2027 for people aged 15 and above who missed school. Learners are taught mainly by volunteers and certified through a Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test, and a state is declared fully literate when literacy among those aged 15 and above crosses 95 per cent.
What can I do on International Literacy Day?
The most useful things are local: volunteer for an adult literacy class, help someone fill a form or read a document they find difficult, donate to a village or school library, or teach one person to use the text-to-speech setting on their phone. Ask a nearby school or literacy centre what they actually need before buying anything.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .