2024 Edition Primary

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 Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) ushered in The Golden Age, which 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 large sections of 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 countries 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 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. India's economic growth after economic reforms in 1991, a massive youth population, and a strategic geographic location have contributed to the country's emergence as a regional and global power. However, India still faces pressing problems such as extensive poverty, widespread corruption, and environmental degradation, and its restrictive business climate challenges economic growth expectations.

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

highest point

Kanchenjunga 8,586 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

mean elevation

160 m

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

715,539 sq km (2020)

Land boundaries

border countries

Bangladesh 4,142 km; Bhutan 659 km; Burma 1,468 km; China 2,659 km; Nepal 1,770 km; Pakistan 3,190 km

total

13,888 km

Land use

agricultural land

60.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 52.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 4.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 3.5% (2018 est.)

forest

23.1% (2018 est.)

other

16.4% (2018 est.)

Location

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

Major aquifers

Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s)

Chilika Lake - 1,170 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Brahmaputra (shared with China [s] and Bangladesh [m]) - 3,969 km; Indus (shared with China [s] and Pakistan [m]) - 3,610 km; Ganges river source (shared with Bangladesh [m]) - 2,704 km; Godavari - 1,465 km; Sutlej (shared with China [s] and Pakistan [m]) - 1,372 km; Yamuna - 1,370 km; Narmada - 1,289 km; Chenab river source (shared with Pakistan [m]) - 1,086 km; Ghaghara river mouth (shared with China [s] and Nepal) - 1,080 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage: Brahmaputra (651,335 sq km), Ganges (1,016,124 sq km), Indus (1,081,718 sq km), Irrawaddy (413,710 sq km)

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, lead, 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

24.5% (male 181,115,052/female 163,647,028)

15-64 years

68.7% (male 500,568,593/female 467,593,781)

65 years and over

6.8% (2024 est.) (male 44,101,180/female 52,102,662)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

2.85 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

3.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

16.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Child marriage

men married by age 18

2.6% (2021 est.)

women married by age 15

4.8%

women married by age 18

23.3%

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

31.5% (2019/21)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

66.7% (2019/20)

Current health expenditure

3% of GDP (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

72.6% (2023 est.)

Death rate

9.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

10.1

potential support ratio

9.9 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

48.1

youth dependency ratio

38.1

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 94.7% of population

improved: total

total: 95.5% of population

improved: urban

urban: 96.9% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 5.3% of population

unimproved: total

total: 4.5% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 3.1% of population

Education expenditures

4.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Gross reproduction rate

0.97 (2024 est.)

Hospital bed density

0.5 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Infant mortality rate

female

30.8 deaths/1,000 live births

male

30 deaths/1,000 live births

total

30.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Languages

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%;  English is the subsidiary official language but is the most important one for national, political, and commercial communication (2011 est.)

major-language sample(s)

विश्व फ़ैक्टबुक, आधारभूत जानकारी का एक अनिवार्य स्रोत (Hindi) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

note

note 1: there are 22 other recognized languages -- Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu note 2: Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language

Life expectancy at birth

female

70.1 years

male

66.5 years

total population

68.2 years (2024 est.)

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

65.8% (2018)

male

82.4%

total population

74.4%

Major urban areas - population

32.941 million NEW DELHI (capital), 21.297 million Mumbai, 15.333 million Kolkata, 13.608 million Bangalore, 11.776 million Chennai, 10.801 million Hyderabad (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

103 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Median age

female

30.5 years

male

29.1 years

total

29.8 years (2024 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

21.2 years (2019/21)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Nationality

adjective

Indian

noun

Indian(s)

Net migration rate

0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

3.9% (2016)

Physician density

0.74 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

female

683,343,471 (2024 est.)

male

725,784,825

total

1,409,128,296

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

Population growth rate

0.72% (2024 est.)

Religions

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

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 75.2% of population

improved: total

total: 83.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 98.6% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 24.8% of population

unimproved: total

total: 16.6% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 1.4% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

12 years (2020)

male

12 years

total

12 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.11 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.07 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.85 male(s)/female

at birth

1.1 male(s)/female

total population

1.06 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

female

13% (2020 est.)

male

41.3% (2020 est.)

total

27.2% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.03 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

36.4% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

28 states and 8 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir*, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh*, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal

note

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

Capital

etymology

the city's name is associated with various myths and legends; the original name for the city may have been Dhilli or Dhillika; alternatively, the name could be a corruption of the Hindustani words "dehleez" or "dehali" - both terms meaning "threshold" or "gateway" - and indicative of the city as a gateway to the Gangetic Plain; after the British decided to move the capital of their Indian Empire from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, they created a new governmental district south of the latter designated as New Delhi; the new capital was not formally inaugurated until 1931

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 2023

history

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

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 (English)/ Bharatiya Ganarajya (Hindi)

local short form

India (English)/ Bharat (Hindi)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Eric M. GARCETTI (since 11 May 2023)

consulate(s) general

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

email address and website

acsnd@state.govhttps://in.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi - 110021

FAX

[91] (11) 2419-0017

mailing address

9000 New Delhi Place, Washington DC  20521-9000

telephone

[91] (11) 2419-8000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Vinay Mohan KWATRA (since 18 September 2024)

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

email address and website

hoc.washington@mea.gov.inhttps://www.indianembassyusa.gov.in/

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 Droupadi MURMU (since 25 July 2022)

election results

2022: Droupadi MURMU elected president; percent of electoral college vote - Droupadi MURMU (BJP) 64%, Yashwant SINHA (AITC) 35.9%; Jagdeep DHANKHAR elected vice president; percent of electoral college vote - Jagdeep DHANKHAR (BJP) 74.4%, Margaret ALVA (INC) 25.6%2017: Ram Nath KOVIND elected president; percent of electoral college vote - Ram Nath KOVIND (BJP) 65.6%, Meira KUMAR (INC) 34.4%; Venkaiah NAIDU elected vice president; percent of electoral college vote - Venkaiah NAIDU (BJP) 67.9%, Gopal-krishna GANDHI 32.1%

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 18 July 2022 (next to be held in July 2027); 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 2022 (next to be held in August 2027); 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

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), Quad, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNSOM, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court (consists of 28 judges, including the chief justice)

judge selection and term of office

justices appointed by the president to serve until age 65

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 with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years at various dates)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 (2022) - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BJP 97, INC 34, AITC 13, DMK 10, other 2, independent 2; composition as of March 2024 - men 206, women 32, percentage women 13.8%House of the People - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BJP 240, INC 99, SP 37, AITC 29, DMK 22, BJD 12, RJD 4, AAP 3, other 93seats by party - BJP 303, INC 52, DMK 24, AITC 22, YSRCP 22, SS 18, JDU 16, BJD 12, BSP 10, TRS 9, LJP 6, NCP 5, SP 5, other 35, independent 4, vacant 2; composition as of March 2024 - men 446, women 77, percentage women 14.7%; total Parliament percentage women 14.3%

elections

Council of States - held by state and territorial assemblies being held from 12 January to 30 June 2024 for expiry of 68 seatsHouse of the People - last held in 7 phases from 19 April to 1 June 2024 (next to be held in 2027)

note

note: in September 2023, both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha passed a bill that reserves one third of the House seats for women; implementation could begin for the House election in 2029

National anthem

lyrics/music

Rabindranath TAGORE

name

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

note

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

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Taj Mahal (c); Red Fort Complex (c); Elphanta Caves (c); Hill Forts of Rajasthan (c); Sundarbans National Park (n); Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (c); Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (c); Dholavira: A Harappan City (c); Jaipur (c); Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (c); Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (n); Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks (n); Khangchendzonga National Park (m); Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (c); Sun Temple, Konârak (c); Kaziranga National Park (n); Keoladeo National Park (n); Churches and Convents of Goa (c); Fatehpur Sikri (c); Group of Monuments at Hampi (c); Khajuraho Group of Monuments (c); Great Living Chola Temples (c); Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (c); Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (c); Humayun's Tomb, Delhi (c); Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (c); Mountain Railways of India (c); Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (c); The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur (c); Western Ghats (n); Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (n); Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat (c); Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar (c); The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (c); Historic City of Ahmadabad (c); Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (c); Jaipur City, Rajasthan (c); Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana (c); Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas (c); Santiniketan (c);  Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty (c)

total World Heritage Sites

43 (35 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed)

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

Aam Aadmi Party or AAPAll India Trinamool Congress or AITCBahujan Samaj Party or BSPBharatiya Janata Party or BJPBiju Janata Dal or BJDCommunist Party of India-Marxist or CPI(M)Dravida Munnetra KhazhagamIndian National Congress or INCNationalist Congress Party or NCPRashtriya Janata Dal or RJDSamajwadi Party or SPShiromani Akali Dal or SADShiv Sena or SSTelegana Rashtra Samithi or TRSTelugu Desam Party or TDPYSR Congress or YSRCP or YCP

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

sugarcane, rice, milk, wheat, bison milk, potatoes, vegetables, bananas, maize, onions (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Average household expenditures

on alcohol and tobacco

2.1% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on food

32% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$432.856 billion (2018 est.)

note

note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$364.86 billion (2018 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

BBB- (2006)

Moody's rating

Baa3 (2020)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

BBB- (2007)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2021

-$33.422 billion (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

-$79.051 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

-$32.336 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external

Debt - external 2022

$186.653 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Economic overview

largest South Asian economy; strong, sustained GDP growth led by technology and service sectors, foreign investment, and improved regulatory framework; high poverty rate and income inequality; initiatives on infrastructure development, digitization, manufacturing, and financial access

Exchange rates

Currency

Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

70.42 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

74.1 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

73.918 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

78.604 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

82.599 (2023 est.)

Exports

Exports 2021

$643.08 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$767.643 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$773.224 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports - commodities

refined petroleum, diamonds, packaged medicine, garments, jewelry (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

US 18%, UAE 7%, Netherlands 4%, China 3%, Bangladesh 3% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

21.9% (2023 est.)

government consumption

10.5% (2023 est.)

household consumption

60.3% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-24% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

31.3% (2023 est.)

investment in inventories

2.4% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

16% (2023 est.)

industry

25% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

49.8% (2023 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$3.55 trillion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2021

32.8 (2021 est.)

note

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

25.6% (2021 est.)

lowest 10%

3.3% (2021 est.)

note

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports

Imports 2021

$717.119 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$902.304 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$859.485 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Imports - commodities

crude petroleum, coal, gold, natural gas, diamonds (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

China 15%, UAE 7%, US 7%, Saudi Arabia 6%, Russia 6% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industrial production growth rate

9.02% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

5.13% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

6.7% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

5.65% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Labor force

593.729 million (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Public debt

note

note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Public debt 2018

46.52% of GDP (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$11.384 trillion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$12.18 trillion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$13.104 trillion (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

9.69% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

6.99% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

7.58% (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$8,100 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$8,600 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$9,200 (2023 est.)

Remittances

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

2.82% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

3.32% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

3.52% of GDP (2023 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$638.485 billion (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$567.298 billion (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$627.793 billion (2023 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

12.02% (of GDP) (2018 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Unemployment rate

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

6.38% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

4.82% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

4.17% (2023 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

15.7% (2023 est.)

male

15.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

15.8% (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

2.067 billion metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from consumed natural gas

117.577 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

620.731 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

2.805 billion metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Coal

consumption

1.2 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

exports

1.775 million metric tons (2022 est.)

imports

215.649 million metric tons (2022 est.)

production

985.671 million metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves

111.052 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

Electricity

consumption

1.463 trillion kWh (2022 est.)

exports

9.574 billion kWh (2022 est.)

imports

9.127 billion kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

487.407 million kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

296.958 billion kWh (2022 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

99.3%

electrification - total population

99.2% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

100%

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

1.9% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

76.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

9.9% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

nuclear

2.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

5.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

wind

4.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

24.793 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

58.867 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports

91.921 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

imports

27.446 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

production

33.17 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves

1.381 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Nuclear energy

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors

6.92GW (2023 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors under construction

7 (2023)

Number of operational nuclear reactors

20 (2023)

Percent of total electricity production

3.1% (2023 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil estimated reserves

4.605 billion barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

5.049 million bbl/day (2022 est.)

total petroleum production

795,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

2 (2020 est.)

total

22.95 million (2020 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 2020, 130 million households paid for cable and satellite television across India and as of 2018, cable and satellite TV offered over 850 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 (2020)

Internet country code

.in

Internet users

percent of population

46% (2021 est.)

total

644 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line subscriptions 2 per 100 and mobile-cellular at nearly 82 per 100 (2021)

general assessment

India’s telecommunications sector has struggled for growth over the last five years; the sector’s lackluster performance has been in spite of concerted efforts by the government to bolster the underlying infrastructure in a bid to achieve universal coverage; instead, the country’s relatively liberal regulatory environment has encouraged fierce competition and price wars among the operators; State-owned as well as private operators have been forced to seek redress from the government in order to avoid bankruptcy; one particular area of contention has been the billions owed by the operators to the government in the form of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues – usage and licensing fees charged by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) – that have been the subject of long-standing court battles over what should be counted as revenue; the government won that battle in the Supreme Court in 2019, but the financial impairment of that decision has pushed a number of telcos to the brink; add the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in 2020 and 2021 to the mix, and the government had to come to the industry’s rescue by introducing a major reform package in September 2021; along with changes to the definition of AGR with regard to non-telecom revenue, the package includes a four-year moratorium on AGR dues and spectrum instalments; the government has also deferred the spectrum auctions for 5G until later in 2022; mobile spectrum in India is already in short supply in terms of providing the necessary capacity to reach universal coverage, but the cash-strapped MNOs may not yet be in a sufficiently strong financial position for which to make the 5G spectrum auction viable (2022)

international

country code - 91; a number of major international submarine cable systems, including SEA-ME-WE-3 & 4, AAE-1, BBG, EIG, FALCON, FEA, GBICS, MENA, IMEWE, SEACOM/ Tata TGN-Eurasia, SAFE, WARF, Bharat Lanka Cable System, IOX, Chennai-Andaman & Nicobar Island Cable, SAEx2, Tata TGN-Tata Indicom and i2icn that provide connectivity to Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South East Asia, numerous Indian Ocean islands including Australia ; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; Indian Ocean region (2022)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

2 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

27.45 million (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

81 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

1.143 billion (2022 est.)

Airports

311 (2024)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

VT

Heliports

276 (2024)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 66, container ship 22, general cargo 607, oil tanker 144, other 1020

total

1,859 (2023)

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

2,703,960,000 (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

164,035,637 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

485

number of registered air carriers

14 (2020)

Pipelines

17,389 km natural gas, 10, 419 km crude oil, 3,544 liquid petroleum gas, 14,729 km refined products (2020) 9 km condensate/gas, 20 km oil/gas/water (2013) (2020)

Ports

key ports

Calcutta, Chennai (Madras), Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Shiva), Kattupalli Port, Kochi (Cochin), Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam

large

4

medium

4

ports with oil terminals

18

size unknown

5

small

13

total ports

56 (2024)

very small

30

Railways

broad gauge

63,950 km (2014) (39, 329 km electrified)

narrow gauge

1,604 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

total

65,554 km (2014)

Roadways

note

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

6,371,847 km (2021) note: includes 140,995 km of national highways and expressways, 171.039 km of state highways , and 6,059,813 km of other roads

Waterways

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

Military - note

the Indian military performs a variety of missions; it is primarily focused on China and Pakistan and territorial defense, while secondary missions include regional power projection, UN peacekeeping deployments, humanitarian operations, and support to internal security forces; it has fought in several significant conflicts and counterinsurgency operations since 1947 and regularly conducts large-scale exercises; the military may act internally under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) of 1958, an act of the Indian Parliament that granted special powers to put down separatist movements in "disturbed areas"; the AFSPA of 1958 and a virtually identical law, the Armed Forces (Jammu & Kashmir) Special Powers Act of 1990, have been in force since 1958 in parts of northeast India, and since 1990 in Jammu & Kashmirthe short 1962 Sino-India War left in place one of the World’s longest disputed international borders, resulting in occasional standoffs between Indian and Chinese security forces, including lethal clashes in 1975 and 2020; meanwhile, India and Pakistan have fought several conflicts since 1947, including the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistan and Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, as well clashes over the disputed region of Kashmir (the First Kashmir War of 1947 and the 1999 Kargil Conflict); a fragile cease-fire in Kashmir was reached in 2003, revised in 2018, and reaffirmed in 2021, although the Line of Control remains contested, and India has accused Pakistan of backing armed separatists and terrorist organizations in Jammu and Kashmir where Indian forces have conducted counterinsurgency operations since the 1980s; in addition, India and Pakistan have battled over the Siachen Glacier of Kashmir, which was seized by India in 1984 with Pakistan attempting to retake the area at least three times between 1985 and 1995; despite a cease-fire, both sides continue to maintain a permanent military presence there with outposts at altitudes above 20,000 feet (over 6,000 meters) where most casualties are due to extreme weather and the hazards of operating in the high mountain terrain of the world’s highest conflict, including avalanches, exposure, and altitude sickness (2024)

Military and security forces

Indian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard; Defense Security CorpsMinistry of Home Affairs: Central Armed Police Forces (includes Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Security Guards, Sashastra Seema Bal), Special Protection Group, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)Ministry of Railways: Railway Protection Force (2024)

note

note 1: the Defense Security Corps provides security for Ministry of Defense sitesnote 2: the Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders; the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB or Armed Border Force) guards the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan bordersnote 3: the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) includes a Rapid Reaction Force (RAF) for riot control and the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) for counter-insurgency operations note 4: the Assam Rifles are under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, while operational control falls under the Ministry of Defense (specifically the Indian Army)note 5: the Territorial Army (TA) is a military reserve force composed of part-time volunteers who provide support services to the Indian Army; it is a part of the Regular Army with the role of relieving Regular Army units from static duties and assisting civil authorities with natural calamities and maintaining essential services in emergencies, as well as providing units for the Regular Army as required

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 1.5 million active personnel (approximately 1.25 million Army; 65,000 Navy; 140,000 Air Force; 12,000 Coast Guard) (2023)

Military deployments

1,800 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 200 Golan Heights (UNDOF); 890 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 2,350 South Sudan (UNMISS); 590 Sudan (UNISFA) (2024)

note

note: India has over 6,000 total military and police personnel deployed on UN missions

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

much of the military's inventory consists of Russian- and Soviet-origin equipment; there is a smaller, but growing mix of Western and domestically produced arms; Russia continues to be the leading provider of arms to India, although in recent years India has increased acquisitions from other suppliers, including France, Israel, and the US; it is one of the world's largest importers of arms; India's defense industry is capable of producing a range of air, land, missile, and naval weapons systems for both domestic use and export; it also produces weapons systems under license (2024)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2019

2.4% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

2.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

2.2% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

2.1% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

2.3% of GDP (2023 est.)

Military service age and obligation

ages vary by service, but generally 16.5-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)

note

note 1: in 2022, the Indian Government began recruiting men aged 17.5-21 annually to serve on 4-year contracts under a process called the Agnipath scheme; at the end of their tenure, 25% would be retained for longer terms of service, while the remainder would be forced to leave the military, although some of those leaving would be eligible to serve in the Coast Guard, the Merchant Navy, civilian positions in the Ministry of Defense, and in the paramilitary forces of the Ministry of Home Affairs, such as the Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Riflesnote 2: as of 2023, women made up less than 1% of the Army, about 1% of the Air Force, and about 6% of the Navy note 3: the Indian military accepts citizens of Nepal and Bhutan; descendants of refugees from Tibet who arrived before 1962 and have resided permanently in India; peoples of Indian origin from nations such as Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India; eligible candidates from “friendly foreign nations” may apply to the Armed Forces Medical Services note 4: the British began to recruit Nepalese citizens (Gurkhas) into the East India Company Army during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816), and the Gurkhas subsequently were brought into the British Indian Army; following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India, and Great Britain allowed for the transfer of the 10 regiments from the British Indian Army to the separate British and Indian armies; six regiments of Gurkhas (aka Gorkhas in India) regiments went to the new Indian Army; a seventh regiment was later added

Illicit drugs

India is a source, transit, and destination for illicit narcotics and precursor chemicals; drug abuse in India growing, facilitated by illicit narcotics and the availability of over-the-counter medicines; commonly abused substances in India include heroin, cannabis, and cocaine, with growing use of pharmaceutical drugs in recent years including tramadol, opioids, and MDMA (ecstasy) analogues; largest producer of generic drugs in the world which is also used to produce illicit synthetic drugs such as pharmaceutical opioids, methamphetamine, heroin, MDMA, and ketamine

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

631,000 (armed conflict and intercommunal violence) (2022)

refugees (country of origin)

92,131 (Sri Lanka), 72,315 (Tibet/China), 10,064 (Afghanistan) (mid-year 2022); 78,731 (Burma) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)

stateless persons

20,330 (2022)

Space agency/agencies

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO; established 1969); the ISRO is subordinate to the Department of Space (DOS; established 1972); India’s first space organization was the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR; established 1962); Defense Space Agency (DSA; established 2019 to command the space assets of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Defense Imagery Processing and Analysis Center, Defense Satellite Control Center, and Defense Space Research Organization were also merged into the DSA); National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (established 2020 to facilitate India’s private sector in the country’s space program) (2024)

Space launch site(s)

Satish Dhawan Space Center (aka Sriharikota Range; located in Andhra Pradesh); Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (Kerala) (2024)

Space program overview

has one of the world’s largest space programs; designs, builds, launches, operates, and tracks the full spectrum of satellites, including communications, navigation, remote sensing (RS), and scientific/technology; designs, builds, and launches rockets, space/satellite launch vehicles (SLVs), and lunar/interplanetary probes; launches satellites for foreign partners; developing astronaut corps and human flight capabilities (with assistance from Russia, US); researching and developing additional space-related technologies and capabilities; has space-related agreements with more than 50 countries, including China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the US, as well as the European Space Agency; participates in international space projects such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) radio telescope; has a government-owned company under the administrative control of DOS; NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is the commercial arm of the ISRO with the responsibility of researching and developing space-related technologies and promoting India’s growing space industry (2024)

note

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide

Terrorist group(s)

Harakat ul-Mujahidin; Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami; Hizbul Mujahideen; Indian Mujahedeen; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – India; Jaish-e-Mohammed; Lashkar-e Tayyiba; al-Qa’ida; al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force

note

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

2,407.67 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

559.11 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

50.17 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Climate

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

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 Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Land use

agricultural land

60.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 52.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 4.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 3.5% (2018 est.)

forest

23.1% (2018 est.)

other

16.4% (2018 est.)

Major aquifers

Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s)

Chilika Lake - 1,170 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Brahmaputra (shared with China [s] and Bangladesh [m]) - 3,969 km; Indus (shared with China [s] and Pakistan [m]) - 3,610 km; Ganges river source (shared with Bangladesh [m]) - 2,704 km; Godavari - 1,465 km; Sutlej (shared with China [s] and Pakistan [m]) - 1,372 km; Yamuna - 1,370 km; Narmada - 1,289 km; Chenab river source (shared with Pakistan [m]) - 1,086 km; Ghaghara river mouth (shared with China [s] and Nepal) - 1,080 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage: Brahmaputra (651,335 sq km), Ganges (1,016,124 sq km), Indus (1,081,718 sq km), Irrawaddy (413,710 sq km)

Revenue from coal

1.15% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0.14% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

1.91 trillion cubic meters (2019 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

688 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

17 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

56 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

36.4% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

168,403,240 tons (2001 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

8,420,162 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

5% (2013 est.)