Spatial variation in literacy among the Muslim population: a block level scenario of Uttar Dinajpur District, West Bengal, India

Literacy is one of the most essential qualitative criteria for an individual’s development and the socio-economic advancement of human society. Through social mobility, literacy aids in achieving a higher social rank. Studying the gender differences in literacy patterns and their impact on socio-economic change is significant since it is one of the most crucial driving forces behind socio-economic transformation. The Indian Census defines a person over six in India who is literate as being able to read and write in any language with good comprehension. In the Uttar Dinajpur District of West Bengal, this research tries to illustrate the spatial variation and gender gap in literacy among Muslim-religious residents of rural and urban areas. Muslims are always defined as the underprivileged sections of Indian society. According to the Indian Census of 2011, there are 1,501,170 (49.92%) Muslims population in the district of Uttar Dinajpur. The overall literacy rate is 49.54%, lower than the district average of 59.07%, while Muslim female literacy is even lower (48.63%). This study used the Standard Score (Z-Score) and Sopher’s Disparity Index (Journal of Survey in Fisheries Sciences, 1326–1339, 2023) to determine disparity. Cartographic techniques, including maps, bar, and line diagrams, using Arc-GIS Software, have been used to illustrate results.