“45% drop out because of marriage or housework.”Rahul Gandhi, Chhatron Ki Goonj rally, Pune, 22 August 2026
Rated False
The facts
Rahul Gandhi’s 45% figure is misleading. The latest UDISE+ 2025–26 data shows that the girls’ secondary dropout rate is only 8.0%, down from 9.6% in 2024–25 and 12.6% in 2023–24. Presenting 45% as the current dropout rate of Indian girls creates a completely misleading picture.
The improvement is even clearer across school levels. In 2025–26, the girls’ dropout rate was just 0.1% at the primary level and 3.4% at the upper-primary level.
And this is not just a recent change. Government data presented to the Lok Sabha in November 2016 showed that the girls’ secondary dropout rate was 17.79% in 2013–14 and 16.88% in 2014–15.
Compare that with 8.0% in 2025–26. The girls’ secondary dropout rate has fallen by 9.79 percentage points since 2013–14.145
So when Rahul Gandhi cites 45% without putting it against the latest official data, he is presenting an outdated or differently defined figure as if it describes the current reality. The official UDISE+ data tells a very different story: 17.79% in 2013–14 → 8.0% in 2025–26.146