Tamil Nadu, Kerala top in women literacy rate

Tamil Nadu is followed by Kerala — with 90 per cent female literacy, India’s highest rate — where 11 per cent of all businesses are run by women. 

With 73.4 per cent of its women literate, Tamil Nadu -- third among larger states after Kerala and Maharashtra -- has India’s largest number of establishments run by women, one million (13.5 per cent of all businesses), the NGO said in its analysis which was based on the economic census 2012.

The five states, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, with the largest number of women entrepreneurs also have higher than national average literacy among women. The top five states have the largest number of women who have completed 10 years or more of education. Maharashtra, which has the fifth-largest number of businesswomen, also has 77.4 per cent women who have completed 10 years or more of education.