2018 Edition

Background

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty, which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent and India was seen as the "Jewel in the Crown" of the British Empire. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.

Area

land

2,973,193 sq km

total

3,287,263 sq km

water

314,070 sq km

Area Comparative

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Climate

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Coastline

7,000 km

Elevation

elevation extremes

0 m lowest point: Indian Ocean

mean elevation

160 m

note

8586 highest point: Kanchenjunga

Environment Current Issues

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources; preservation and quality of forests; biodiversity loss

Environment International Agreements

party to

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Geographic Coordinates

20 00 N, 77 00 E

Geography Note

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal

Irrigated Land

667,000 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

border countries (6)

Bangladesh 4142 km, Bhutan 659 km, Burma 1468 km, China 2659 km, Nepal 1770 km, Pakistan 3190 km

total

13,888 km

Land Use

arable land: 52.8% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 4.2% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 3.5% (2011 est.)

agricultural land

60.5% (2011 est.)

forest

23.1% (2011 est.)

other

16.4% (2011 est.)

Location

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan

Map References

Asia

Maritime Claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural Hazards

droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakesvolcanism: Barren Island (354 m) in the Andaman Sea has been active in recent years

Natural Resources

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), antimony, iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land

Population Distribution

with the notable exception of the deserts in the northwest, including the Thar Desert, and the mountain fringe in the north, a very high population density exists throughout most of the country; the core of the population is in the north along the banks of the Ganges, with other river valleys and southern coastal areas also having large population concentrations

Terrain

upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Age Structure

0-14 years

26.98% (male 185,736,879 /female 164,194,080)

15-24 years

17.79% (male 122,573,662 /female 108,109,968)

25-54 years

41.24% (male 276,283,581 /female 258,563,835)

55-64 years

7.6% (male 49,334,703 /female 49,197,817)

65 years and over

6.39% (male 39,184,523 /female 43,654,994) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

18.7 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Children Under The Age Of 5 Years Underweight

35.7% (2015)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

53.5% (2015/16)

Death Rate

7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

elderly dependency ratio

8.6 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio

11.7 (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

52.2 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio

43.6 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

improved: urban: 97.1% of population

rural: 92.6% of population

total: 94.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 2.9% of population

rural: 7.4% of population

total: 5.9% of population (2015 est.)

Education Expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2013)

Ethnic Groups

Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)

Health Expenditures

4.7% of GDP (2014)

Hiv Aids Adult Prevalence Rate

0.2% (2017 est.)

Hiv Aids Deaths

69,000 (2017 est.)

Hiv Aids People Living With Hiv Aids

2.1 million (2017 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant Mortality Rate

female

39.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male

36.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

total

37.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Hindi 43.6%, Bengali 8%, Marathi 6.9%, Telugu 6.7%, Tamil 5.7%, Gujarati 4.6%, Urdu 4.2%, Kannada 3.6%, Odia 3.1%, Malayalam 2.9%, Punjabi 2.7%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.1%, other 5.6% (2011 est.)

note

English enjoys the status of subsidiary official language but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; there are 22 other officially recognized languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language

Life Expectancy At Birth

female

70.5 years (2018 est.)

male

67.8 years (2018 est.)

total population

69.1 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

female

60.6% (2015 est.)

male

81.3% (2015 est.)

total population

71.2% (2015 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases

animal contact diseases

rabies (2016)

degree of risk

very high (2016)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria (2016)

water contact diseases

leptospirosis (2016)

Major Urban Areas Population

28.514 million NEW DELHI (capital), 19.98 million Mumbai, 14.681 million Kolkata, 11.44 million Bangalore, 10.456 million Chennai, 9.482 million Hyderabad (2018)

Maternal Mortality Rate

174 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

Median Age

female

28.9 years (2018 est.)

male

27.5 years

total

28.1 years

Nationality

adjective

Indian

noun

Indian(s)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

3.9% (2016)

Physicians Density

0.76 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Population

1,296,834,042 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.14% (2018 est.)

Religions

Hindu 79.8%, Muslim 14.2%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, other and unspecified 2% (2011 est.)

Sanitation Facility Access

improved: urban: 62.6% of population (2015 est.)

rural: 28.5% of population (2015 est.)

total: 39.6% of population (2015 est.)

unimproved: urban: 37.4% of population (2015 est.)

rural: 71.5% of population (2015 est.)

total: 60.4% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

female

12 years (2014)

male

12 years (2014)

total

12 years (2014)

Sex Ratio

0-14 years

1.13 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years

1.13 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over

0.9 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

at birth

1.12 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population

1.08 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

2.4 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

female

12% (2012 est.)

male

9.5% (2012 est.)

total

10.1% (2012 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.37% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

urban population

34% of total population (2018)

Administrative Divisions

29 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal

note

although its status is that of a union territory, the official name of Delhi is National Capital Territory of Delhi

Capital

geographic coordinates

28 36 N, 77 12 E

name

New Delhi

time difference

UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of India

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Constitution

amendments

proposed by either the Council of States or the House of the People; passage requires majority participation of the total membership in each house and at least two-thirds majority of voting members of each house, followed by assent of the president of India; proposed amendments to the constitutional amendment procedures also must be ratified by at least one-half of the India state legislatures before presidential assent; amended many times, last in 2016 (2017)

history

previous 1935 (preindependence); latest draft completed 4 November 1949, adopted 26 November 1949, effective 26 January 1950 (2017)

Country Name

conventional long form

Republic of India

conventional short form

India

etymology

the English name derives from the Indus River; the Indian name "Bharat" may derive from the "Bharatas" tribe mentioned in the Vedas of the second millennium B.C.; the name is also associated with Emperor Bharata, the legendary conqueror of all of India

local long form

Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya

local short form

India/Bharat

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

chief of mission

Ambassador Kenneth I. JUSTER (since 23 November 2017)

consulate(s) general

Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay)

embassy

Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021

FAX

[91] (11) 2419-0017

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[91] (11) 2419-8000

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

chancery

2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Consular Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone: [1](202) 939-7000

chief of mission

Ambassador Navtej Singh SARNA (since 18 January 2017)

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 265-4351

telephone

[1] (202) 939-7000

Executive Branch

cabinet

Union Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister, appointed by the president

chief of state

President Ram Nath KOVIND (since 25 July 2017); Vice President M. Venkaiah NAIDU (since 11 August 2017)

election results

Ram Nath KOVIND elected president; percent of electoral college vote - Ram Nath KOVIND (BJP) 65.7% Meira KUMAR (INC) 34.3%; M. Venkaiah NAIDU elected vice president; electoral college vote - M. Venkaiah NAIDU (BJP) 516, Gopalkrishna GANDHI (independent) 244

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 17 July 2017 (next to be held in July 2022); vice president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 5 August 2017 (next to be held in August 2022); following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by Lok Sabha members of the majority party

head of government

Prime Minister Narendra MODI (since 26 May 2014)

Flag Description

three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green, with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; saffron represents courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation; white signifies purity and truth; green stands for faith and fertility; the blue chakra symbolizes the wheel of life in movement and death in stagnation

note

similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band

Government Type

federal parliamentary republic

Independence

15 August 1947 (from the UK)

International Law Organization Participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

International Organization Participation

ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIMSTEC, BIS, BRICS, C, CD, CERN (observer), CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial Branch

highest courts

Supreme Court (the chief justice and 25 associate justices)

judge selection and term of office

justices appointed by the president to serve until age 65

note

in mid-2011, India’s Cabinet approved the "National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reform" to eliminate judicial corruption and reduce the backlog of cases

subordinate courts

High Courts; District Courts; Labour Court

Legal System

common law system based on the English model; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus; judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative Branch

description

bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of:Council of States or Rajya Sabha (245 seats; 233 members indirectly elected by state and territorial assemblies by proportional representation vote and 12 members appointed by the president; members serve 6-year terms) House of the People or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 2 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 218, women 27, percent of women 11% House of the People - percent of vote by party - BJP 31.%, INC 19.3%, AITC 3.8%, SP 3.4%, AIADMK 3.3%, CPI(M) 3.3%, TDP 2.6%, YSRC 2.5%, AAP 2.1%, SAD 1.8%, BJD 1.7%, SS 1.7%, NCP 1.6%, RJD 1.3%, TRS 1.3%, LJP 0.4%, other 15.9%, independent 3.%; seats by party - BJP 282, INC 44, AIADMK 37, AITC 34, BJD 20, SS 18, TDP 16, TRS 11, CPI(M) 9, YSRC 9, LJP 6, NCP 6, SP 5, AAP 4, RJD 4, SAD 4, other 33, independent 3; composition - men 483, women 62, percent of women 11.4%; note - total Parliament percent of women 11.3%

elections

Council of States - last held by state and territorial assemblies at various dates in 2018House of the People - last held April-May 2014 in 9 phases; (next must be held by May 2019)

National Anthem

lyrics/music

Rabindranath TAGORE

name

"Jana-Gana-Mana" (Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People)

note

adopted 1950; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote Bangladesh's national anthem

National Holiday

Republic Day, 26 January (1950)

National Symbol S

the Lion Capital of Ashoka, which depicts four Asiatic lions standing back to back mounted on a circular abacus, is the official emblem; Bengal tiger; lotus flower; national colors: saffron, white, green

Political Parties And Leaders

Aam Aadmi Party or AAP [Arvind KEJRIWAL]All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK [Edappadi PALANISWAMY, Occhaathevar PANNEERSELVAM]All India Trinamool Congress or AITC [Mamata BANERJEE]Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Amit SHAH]Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI(M) [Sitaram YECHURY]Indian National Congress or INC [Rahul GANDHI]Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) [Ram Vilas PASWAN]Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Lalu Prasad YADAV]Samajwadi Party or SP [Akhilesh YADAV]Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash Singh BADAL]Shiv Sena or SS [Uddhav THACKERAY]Telegana Rashtra Samithi or TRS [K. Chandrashekar RAO]Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU]YSR Congress or YSRC [Jagan Mohan REDDY]

note

India has dozens of national and regional political parties

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture Products

rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, lentils, onions, potatoes; dairy products, sheep, goats, poultry; fish

Budget

expenditures

329 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

238.2 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

-3.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

6% (31 December 2017)

6.25% (31 December 2016)

note

this is the Indian central bank's policy rate - the repurchase rate

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

9.51% (31 December 2017 est.)

9.67% (31 December 2016 est.)

Current Account Balance

-$48.66 billion (2017 est.)

-$14.35 billion (2016 est.)

Debt External

$501.6 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$456.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

35.2 (2011)

37.8 (1997)

Economy Overview

India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Slightly less than half of the workforce is in agriculture, but services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for nearly two-thirds of India's output but employing less than one-third of its labor force. India has capitalized on its large educated English-speaking population to become a major exporter of information technology services, business outsourcing services, and software workers. Nevertheless, per capita income remains below the world average. India is developing into an open-market economy, yet traces of its past autarkic policies remain. Economic liberalization measures, including industrial deregulation, privatization of state-owned enterprises, and reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, began in the early 1990s and served to accelerate the country's growth, which averaged nearly 7% per year from 1997 to 2017.India's economic growth slowed in 2011 because of a decline in investment caused by high interest rates, rising inflation, and investor pessimism about the government's commitment to further economic reforms and about slow world growth. Investors’ perceptions of India improved in early 2014, due to a reduction of the current account deficit and expectations of post-election economic reform, resulting in a surge of inbound capital flows and stabilization of the rupee. Growth rebounded in 2014 through 2016. Despite a high growth rate compared to the rest of the world, India’s government-owned banks faced mounting bad debt, resulting in low credit growth. Rising macroeconomic imbalances in India and improving economic conditions in Western countries led investors to shift capital away from India, prompting a sharp depreciation of the rupee through 2016.The economy slowed again in 2017, due to shocks of "demonetizaton" in 2016 and introduction of GST in 2017. Since the election, the government has passed an important goods and services tax bill and raised foreign direct investment caps in some sectors, but most economic reforms have focused on administrative and governance changes, largely because the ruling party remains a minority in India’s upper house of Parliament, which must approve most bills.India has a young population and corresponding low dependency ratio, healthy savings and investment rates, and is increasing integration into the global economy. However, long-term challenges remain significant, including: India's discrimination against women and girls, an inefficient power generation and distribution system, ineffective enforcement of intellectual property rights, decades-long civil litigation dockets, inadequate transport and agricultural infrastructure, limited non-agricultural employment opportunities, high spending and poorly targeted subsidies, inadequate availability of quality basic and higher education, and accommodating rural-to-urban migration.

Exchange Rates

Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar -

65.17 (2017 est.)

67.195 (2016 est.)

67.195 (2015 est.)

64.152 (2014 est.)

61.03 (2013 est.)

Exports

$304.1 billion (2017 est.)

$268.6 billion (2016 est.)

Exports Commodities

petroleum products, precious stones, vehicles, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, cereals, apparel

Exports Partners

US 15.6%, UAE 10.2%, Hong Kong 4.9%, China 4.3% (2017)

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

Gdp Composition By End Use

exports of goods and services

19.1% (2017 est.)

government consumption

11.5% (2017 est.)

household consumption

59.1% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-22% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

28.5% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

3.9% (2017 est.)

Gdp Composition By Sector Of Origin

agriculture

15.4% (2016 est.)

industry

23% (2016 est.)

services

61.5% (2016 est.)

Gdp Official Exchange Rate

$2.602 trillion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

Gdp Per Capita Ppp

$7,200 (2017 est.)

$6,800 (2016 est.)

$6,500 (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Purchasing Power Parity

$9.474 trillion (2017 est.)

$8.88 trillion (2016 est.)

$8.291 trillion (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Real Growth Rate

6.7% (2017 est.)

7.1% (2016 est.)

8.2% (2015 est.)

Gross National Saving

28.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

29.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

30.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

highest 10%

29.8% (2011)

lowest 10%

29.8% (2011)

Imports

$452.2 billion (2017 est.)

$376.1 billion (2016 est.)

Imports Commodities

crude oil, precious stones, machinery, chemicals, fertilizer, plastics, iron and steel

Imports Partners

China 16.3%, US 5.5%, UAE 5.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.8%, Switzerland 4.7% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

5.5% (2017 est.)

Industries

textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

3.6% (2017 est.)

4.5% (2016 est.)

Labor Force

521.9 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

agriculture

47%

industry

22%

services

31% (FY 2014 est.)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

$1.516 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.558 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.139 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line

21.9% (2011 est.)

Public Debt

71.2% of GDP (2017 est.)

69.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

note

data cover central government debt, and exclude debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

$409.8 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$359.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Broad Money

$451.5 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$293.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

$155.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$144.1 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment At Home

$377.5 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$318.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Domestic Credit

$1.927 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$1.684 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Narrow Money

$451.5 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$293.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Taxes And Other Revenues

9.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

8.5% (2017 est.)

8.5% (2016 est.)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

2.383 billion Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

4.057 million bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Production

733,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

4.495 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

electrification - rural areas

70% (2013)

electrification - total population

79% (2013)

electrification - urban areas

98% (2013)

population without electricity

237.4 million (2013)

Electricity Consumption

1.137 trillion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

5.15 billion kWh (2015 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

71% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

12% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

16% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

5.617 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

367.8 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

1.386 trillion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

55.43 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

76.45 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

23.96 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

31.54 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

1.29 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

4.521 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

1.305 million bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

653,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

4.897 million bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

1 (2017 est.)

total

17,856,024 (2017 est.)

Broadcast Media

Doordarshan, India's public TV network, has a monopoly on terrestrial broadcasting and operates about 20 national, regional, and local services; a large and increasing number of privately owned TV stations are distributed by cable and satellite service providers; in 2015, more than 230 million homes had access to cable and satellite TV offering more than 700 TV channels; government controls AM radio with All India Radio operating domestic and external networks; news broadcasts via radio are limited to the All India Radio Network; since 2000, privately owned FM stations have been permitted and their numbers have increased rapidly (2015)

Internet Country Code

.in

Internet Users

percent of population

29.5% (July 2016 est.)

total

374,328,160 (July 2016 est.)

Telephone System

domestic

fixed-line subscriptions stands at 2 per 100 and mobile-cellular at 91 per 100; mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles, each with multiple private service providers and one or more state-owned service providers; in recent years significant trunk capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system (INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT) (2017)

general assessment

supported by deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and policies, India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing telecom markets in the world; implementation of 4G/LTE services shift to data services across the country; steps taken towards 5G services; fixed broadband penetration is expected to grow at a moderate rate over the next five years to 2023 (2017)

international

country code - 91; a number of major international submarine cable systems, including SEA-ME-WE-3 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), SEA-ME-WE-4 with a landing site at Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and data traffic; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam (2017)

Telephones Fixed Lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

2 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

23,234,687 (2017 est.)

Telephones Mobile Cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

91 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

1,168,902,277 (2017 est.)

Airports

346 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

76 (2017)

2,438 to 3,047 m

59 (2017)

914 to 1,523 m

82 (2017)

over 3,047 m

22 (2017)

total

253 (2017)

under 914 m

14 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

6 (2013)

2,438 to 3,047 m

3 (2013)

914 to 1,523 m

38 (2013)

over 3,047 m

1 (2013)

total

93 (2013)

under 914 m

45 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

VT (2016)

Heliports

45 (2013)

Merchant Marine

by type

bulk carrier 74, container ship 20, general cargo 571, oil tanker 126, other 883 (2017)

total

1,674 (2017)

National Air Transport System

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

1,833,847,614 mt-km (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

98,927,860 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

485 (2015)

number of registered air carriers

20 (2015)

Pipelines

9 km condensate/gas, 13581 km gas, 2054 km liquid petroleum gas, 8943 km oil, 20 km oil/gas/water, 11069 km refined products (2013)

Ports And Terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Chennai (1,495,000), Jawaharal Nehru Port (4,517,587), Mundra (3,320,285) (2016)

LNG terminal(s) (import)

Dabhol, Dahej, Hazira

major seaport(s)

Chennai, Jawaharal Nehru Port, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Sikka, Vishakhapatnam

Railways

broad gauge

58,404 km 1.676-m gauge (23,654 electrified) (2014)

narrow gauge

9,499 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

note

622 0.762-m gauge

total

68,525 km (2014)

Roadways

note

includes 96,214 km of national highways and expressways, 147,800 km of state highways, and 4,455,010 km of other roads

total

4,699,024 km (2015)

Waterways

14,500 km (5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels) (2012)

Military Branches

Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force, Coast Guard (2011)

Military Expenditures

2.47% of GDP (2016)

2.41% of GDP (2015)

2.5% of GDP (2014)

2.47% of GDP (2013)

2.54% of GDP (2012)

Military Service Age And Obligation

16-18 years of age for voluntary military service (Army 17 1/2, Air Force 17, Navy 16 1/2); no conscription; women may join as officers, currently serve in combat roles as pilots, and will soon be allowed in all combat roles (2016)

Disputes International

since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other matters continueKashmir remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas)India and Pakistan resumed bilateral dialogue in February 2011 after a two-year hiatus, have maintained the 2003 cease-fire in Kashmir, and continue to have disputes over water sharing of the Indus River and its tributariesUN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian SeaPakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat StatePrime Minister Singh's September 2011 visit to Bangladesh resulted in the signing of a Protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh, which had called for the settlement of longstanding boundary disputes over undemarcated areas and the exchange of territorial enclaves, but which had never been implementedBangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the SeaJoint Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine contested boundary sections, including the 400 sq km dispute over the source of the Kalapani RiverIndia maintains a strict border regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal

Illicit Drugs

world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries and throughout Southwest Asia; illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system; licit ketamine and precursor production

Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons

IDPs

806,000 (armed conflict and intercommunal violence) (2017)

refugees (country of origin)

108,008 (Tibet/China), 61,842 (Sri Lanka), 18,089 (Burma), 7,758 (Afghanistan) (2017)

Terrorist Groups Foreign Based

al-Qa'ida (AQ)

aim(s): overthrow the Indian Government and, ultimately, establish a pan-Islamic caliphate under a strict Salafi Muslim interpretation of shariaarea(s) of operation: maintains an operational presence as al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent (April 2018)

al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)

aim(s): establish an Islamic caliphate in the Indian subcontinentarea(s) of operation: targets primarily military and security personnel, especially in the states of Assam, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir; present in large cities, including Delhi (April 2018)

Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI)

aim(s): enhance its networks and operational capabilities in Indiaarea(s) of operation: maintains an operational presence, especially in the south, including in Bangalore and Hubli (April 2018)

Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami/Bangladesh (HUJI-B)

aim(s): enhance its networks in India and, ultimately, install an Islamic state in Bangladesharea(s) of operation: maintains a low-profile presence (April 2018)

Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)

aim(s): enhance its networks and paramilitary training in India and, ultimately, annex Kashmir into Pakistan and establish an Islamic state in Kashmirarea(s) of operation: conducts attacks against Indian troops and civilians in Kashmir (April 2018)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan (ISIS-K)

aim(s):  spread the ISIS caliphate by eliminating the Indian Government and, ultimately, unite Kashmir with Pakistanarea(s) of operation:  maintains a recruitment presence in major cities

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM)

aim(s): annex Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistanarea(s) of operation: operates primarily in Jammu and Kashmir State (April 2018)

Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LT)

aim(s): annex Jammu and Kashmir State to Pakistan and, ultimately, install Islamic rule throughout South Asiaarea(s) of operation: operational throughout India, especially in the north in Jammu and Kashmir State, since at least 1993note: continues to be one of the largest and most deadly of the anti-India-focused armed groups (April 2018)

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

aim(s): enhance its networks in India and, ultimately, revive the movement to establish a Tamil homelandarea(s) of operation: maintains safe havens, transit routes, human trafficking, and an operational presence in an effort to revive the movement and conduct attacks (April 2018)

Terrorist Groups Home Based

Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)

aim(s): annex the state of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistanarea(s) of operation: HM is an indigenous Kashmiri militant group that operates in Jammu and Kashmir (April 2018)

Indian Mujahedeen (IM)

aim(s): establish Islamic rule in India and, ultimately, convert all non-Muslims to Islam; stated goal is to carry out terrorist attacks against Indians for perceived atrocities against Indian Muslimsarea(s) of operation: formerly based in the western state of Maharashtra, India's third-largest and second-most populous state, and now probably operates mostly outside India (April 2018)