Number wise: Which state in India has the most educated politicians?

A higher percentage of candidates and winners in elections are now graduates. Read more to find out which state does the best

An increasing share of India's state-level politicians is made up of graduates.

Each of the three north-eastern states of Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya, which have been in election mode, had an equal or greater share of graduate candidates in their latest elections than in the previous one. It rose from 40 per cent in 2018 to 45 per cent in 2023 for Tripura, 57 per cent to 63 per cent in Meghalaya, while Nagaland retained a 70 per cent share for both years.

This trend is not unique to these states, shows a Business Standard analysis of candidate data from tracker myneta.info. The share of graduate candidates has risen by a median of 3 percentage points across states which have held elections in the last ten years. The median share of graduate winners is up 2.5 per cent. The north-eastern state of Manipur topped the list with a 77 per cent share of graduates among both candidates and winners in the latest election. Gujarat lagged with a 28 per cent share of graduate candidates and a 46 per cent share among winners, as seen in chart 1.

The broad level of education among politicians seems related to the state's overall education levels. Take Gujarat's example, where out of every 100 people who should be enrolled in post-higher secondary education (based on their age group), only 14 do so. This net enrolment ratio is 26.7 per cent for Manipur.

The gradual increase in the share of graduates is less clearly visible among national politicians. The share of graduates among candidates is 48 per cent. This is the same as it was in 2004. The share of graduates among winners has dropped for two elections in a row. It was 73 per cent in 2019, compared to 74 per cent in 2004 (chart 2).

The lack of progress may not be surprising if one considers the access to education available at a national level. Only 10.6 per cent of the country's population has a graduate degree. The data is for those aged 15 years or more. It is based on the government's "Household Social Consumption: Education" conducted for the 12 months ending June 2018. The share of graduates among men is 12.8 per cent. It is 8.3 per cent for women (chart 3).