2025 Edition Primary

Background

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five ocean basins (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The International Hydrographic Organization decided in 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean basin, the Southern Ocean, which removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.

Area

land

75.96 million sq km

Note

<strong>note:</strong> includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Total

70.56 million sq km

Area - comparative

almost seven times the size of the US

Bathymetry

Abyssal plains

the following are examples of features on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): <br><br>Arabian Basin<br>Crozet Basin<br>Madagascar Basin<br>Mid-Indian Basin<br>Mozambique Basin<br>Wharton Basin

Atolls

the following are examples of atolls in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): <br><br>Bassas da India<br>Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia<br>Europa Island<br>Juan de Nova Island<br>Lakshadweep Islands<br>Maldive Islands<br>Seychelles

Continental shelf

the following are examples of features on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): <br><br>Exmouth Plateau<br>Indus Canyon <br>The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal)<br>Sunda Shelf

Continental slope

the following are examples of features on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): <br><br>Bengal Fan<br>Indus Fan

Mid-ocean ridge

the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): <br><br>Central Indian Ridge<br>Davie Ridge<br>Southeast Indian Ridge<br>Southwest Indian Ridge

Ocean trenches

the following are examples of ocean trenches on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): <br><br>Java/Sunda Trench (deepest point in the Indian Ocean)

Undersea terrain features

the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2): <br><br>Andaman-Nicobar Ridge<br>Chagos-Laccadive Ridge<br>Kerguelen Plateau<br>Madagascar Plateau<br>Mascarene Plateau<br>Mozambique Plateau<br>Ninetyeast Ridge

Climate

northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean

Coastline

66,526 km

Elevation

Highest point

sea level

Lowest point

Java Trench -7,192 m unnamed deep

Mean depth

-3,741 m

Ocean zones

the ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level; sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light below 200 m<br><br><em>euphotic zone</em>: the upper 200 m (656 ft) is also called "sunlight" zone; only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth<br><br><em>dysphotic zone</em>: between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft), and also called the twilight zone; the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases, and photosynthesis is no longer possible<br><br><em>aphotic zone</em>: below 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and also called the midnight zone; sunlight does not penetrate to these depths

Geographic coordinates

20 00 S, 80 00 E

Geography - note

major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait

Land use

arable land

11.85%

forest

27.68%

permanent crops

2.19%

Location

body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia

Major ocean currents

the counterclockwise Indian Ocean Gyre comprised of the southward flowing warm Agulhas and East Madagascar Currents in the west, the eastward flowing South Indian Current in the south, the northward flowing cold West Australian Current in the east, and the westward flowing South Equatorial Current in the north; a distinctive annual reversal of surface currents occurs in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and clockwise currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and counterclockwise currents

Natural hazards

occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches

Natural resources

oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules

Ocean volume

Ocean volume

264 million cu km

Percent of World Ocean total volume

19.8%

Age structure

0-14 years

26.39%

15-64 years

65.3%

65 years and over

8.31%

Birth rate

18 births/1,000 population

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population

adult female

117 per 1,000

adult male

179 per 1,000

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

12.73%

total dependency ratio

54.33%

youth dependency ratio

40.41%

Education expenditures

4 % of GDP

Health expenditure

6 % of GDP

Infant mortality rate

neonatal

19 deaths/1,000 live births

total

40 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

female

74 years

male

70 years

total population

72 years

Literacy

female

81.93%

male

89.42%

total population

85.67%

Maternal mortality ratio

0 per 100,000

Mother's mean age at first birth

42 births/1,000 women 15-19

Net migration rate

-2,304,090 migrants

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

40.34%

Population

total

6.56 billion persons

Population growth rate

0.99%

Total fertility rate

2 children born/woman

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.56%

urban population

53.23%

Vaccination rate

measles

83.71%

Country name

Etymology

named for the country of India, which makes up much of its northern border

Debt - external

$8.94 trillion

Exports

$9.65 trillion

Foreign direct investment

net inflows

$420.75 billion

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

8.82%

industry

32.21%

services

54.82%

GDP (official exchange rate)

$39.4 trillion

GDP per capita (nominal)

$6,002

GNI (gross national income)

$38.87 trillion

GNI per capita

$5,971

Gross domestic investment

33 % of GDP

Imports

$9.49 trillion

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.7%

Labor force

total

2.93 billion persons

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

30.9%

industry

24.39%

services

44.71%

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$103.67 trillion

Real GDP growth rate

4.36%

Real GDP per capita

$15,795

Remittances

$690.74 billion

Revenue (excl grants)

19 % of GDP

Tax revenue

11 % of GDP

Unemployment rate

4.91%

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

15.64%

male

13.58%

total

13.92%

Electricity

consumption per capita

2,378 kWh

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

2.53%

hydroelectric

38.16%

nuclear

1.8%

renewable

28.54%

Energy consumption per capita

1,285 kg of oil equivalent

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

per 100 inhabitants

15 per 100

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100

104 per 100

total subscriptions

6.51 billion subscriptions

Air transport

passengers carried

1.66 billion passengers

registered carrier departures

13.07 million departures

Military expenditures

2 % of GDP

Environmental issues

marine pollution from ocean dumping, improper waste disposal, and oil spills; oil pollution in Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea; threats to coral reefs; loss of biodiversity; endangered marine species&nbsp;

Marine fisheries

<p>the Indian Ocean fisheries are the third most important in the world, accounting for 15.5%, or 12,220,000 mt of the global catch in 2020; tuna, small pelagic fish, and shrimp are important species in these regions; the Food and Agriculture Organization delineated two fishing regions in the Indian Ocean:</p> <p><em>Eastern Indian Ocean</em> region (Region 57) is the most important and the fifth-largest-producing region in the world with 8.4%, or 6,590,000 mt, of the global catch in 2020; the region encompasses the waters north of 55º South latitude and east of 80º East longitude, including the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, with the major producers including India (2,362,481 mt), Indonesia (1,940,558 mt), Burma (1,114,777 mt), Bangladesh (877,837 mt), and Sri Lanka (373,369 mt); the principal catches include shad, skipjack tuna, mackerel, shrimp, and sardinellas</p> <em>Western Indian Ocean</em> region (Region 51) is the world’s sixth-largest-producing region with more than 7.1% or 5,630,000 mt of the global catch in 2020; this region encompasses the waters north of 40º South latitude and west of 80º East longitude, including the western Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea, as well as the waters along the east coast of Africa and Madagascar, the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and the west coast of India; major producers include India (2,207,125 mt), Oman (580,048 mt), Pakistan (341,730 mt), and Mozambique (274,791 mt); the principal catches include skipjack and yellowfin tuna, mackerel, sardines, shrimp, and cephalopods<br><br><strong>Regional fisheries bodies:</strong> Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, Regional Commission for Fisheries (Persian Gulf/Gulf of Oman), Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center, Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission, South Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement

Protected areas

12 % of total land area

Renewable electricity output

11 % of total

Total water withdrawal

11 % of internal resources