India
India⌘K
Overview
- 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.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 2,973,193 sq km
- Water
- 314,070 sq km
- Total
- 3,287,263 sq km
- Climate
- varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
- Terrain
- upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Land Use
- Other
- 15.5% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 24.4% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 60.1% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 51.8% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 4.9% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 3.4% (2023 est.)
- Location
- Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
- Coastline
- 7,000 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Indian Ocean 0 m
- Highest point
- Kanchenjunga 8,586 m
- Mean elevation
- 160 m
- Irrigated land
- 754,562 sq km (2022)
- Major aquifers
- Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin
- Map references
- Asia
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 13,888 km
- 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
Maritime Claims
- Contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Continental shelf
- 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
- Exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- Natural hazards
- droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes
volcanism: Barren Island (354 m) in the Andaman Sea has been active in recent years - 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
- 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
- Area comparative
- slightly more than one-third the size of the US
- Geographic coordinates
- 20 00 N, 77 00 E
- Population distribution
- a very high population density exists throughout most of the country, with the notable exception of the deserts in the northwest and the mountain fringe in the north; 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
Major Lakes (Area Sq Km)
- Salt water lake(s)
- Chilika Lake - 1,170 sq km
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)
- 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 km
note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
People & Society
Literacy
- Male
- 88.3% (2023 est.)
- Female
- 74.9% (2023 est.)
- Total population
- 81.7% (2023 est.)
Languages
- 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 - 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.
- Religions
- Hindu 79.8%, Muslim 14.2%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, other and unspecified 2% (2011 est.)
Sex Ratio
- At birth
- 1.1 male(s)/female
- 0 14 years
- 1.11 male(s)/female
- 15 64 years
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- Total population
- 1.06 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
- 65 years and over
- 0.85 male(s)/female
- Birth rate
- 15.91 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median Age
- Male
- 29.1 years
- Total
- 30.1 years (2025 est.)
- Female
- 30.5 years
Population
- Male
- 730,902,574
- Total
- 1,419,316,933 (2025 est.)
- Female
- 688,414,359
Nationality
- Noun
- Indian(s)
- Adjective
- Indian
Tobacco Use
- Male
- 34.1% (2025 est.)
- Total
- 21.8% (2025 est.)
- Female
- 8.9% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 36.4% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 2.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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)
- Ethnic groups
- Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, and other 3% (2000)
Child Marriage
- Men married BY age 18
- 2.6% (2021)
- Women married BY age 15
- 4.8% (2021)
- Women married BY age 18
- 23.3% (2021)
Dependency Ratios
- Total dependency ratio
- 45 (2025 est.)
- Youth dependency ratio
- 35 (2025 est.)
- Potential support ratio
- 10 (2025 est.)
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 10 (2025 est.)
- Physician density
- 0.72 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Health Expenditure
- Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
- 3.3% of GDP (2021)
- Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
- 4.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
- Net migration rate
- 0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Hospital bed density
- 1.6 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
- Total fertility rate
- 2 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved: rural
- rural: 91.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 93.3% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 95.8% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 8.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 6.7% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 4.2% of population (2022 est.)
Education Expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP)
- 4.1% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Education expenditure (% national budget)
- 14.2% national budget (2022 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Male
- 30 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 30.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
- Female
- 30.8 deaths/1,000 live births
- Population growth rate
- 0.72% (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 0.95 (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- a very high population density exists throughout most of the country, with the notable exception of the deserts in the northwest and the mountain fringe in the north; 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
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Male
- 66.5 years
- Female
- 70.1 years
- Total population
- 68.2 years (2024 est.)
- Maternal mortality ratio
- 80 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved: rural
- rural: 83% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 88.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 99.4% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 17% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 11.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0.6% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita
- Beer
- 0.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Wine
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Total
- 3.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Spirits
- 2.85 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Other alcohols
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- 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)
- Obesity adult prevalence rate
- 3.9% (2016)
- Mother's mean age at first birth
- 21.2 years (2019/21)
- Currently married women (ages 15 49)
- 72.3% (2020 est.)
- Children under the age of 5 years underweight
- 31.5% (2020 est.)
School Life Expectancy (Primary to Tertiary Education)
- Male
- 13 years (2024 est.)
- Total
- 13 years (2024 est.)
- Female
- 13 years (2024 est.)
Government
Civica · structure
How power is organised
ExecutiveLegislative
- Flag
- description: three equal horizontal bands of saffron (top), white, and green, with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band
meaning: saffron stands for courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation; white for purity and truth; green for faith and fertility; the chakra symbolizes the wheel of life in movement and death in stagnation
Capital
- Name
- New Delhi
- Etymology
- the name is of unknown origin; one theory says it may come from the Hindi word dehli (threshold), because of the city's location between the Indus and the Ganges Rivers
- Time difference
- UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Geographic coordinates
- 28 36 N, 77 12 E
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
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
- History
- previous 1935 (pre-independence); latest draft completed 4 November 1949, adopted 26 November 1949, effective 26 January 1950
- Amendment process
- 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
Country Name
- Etymology
- the English name derives from the Indus River; the Indian name, Bharat, may derive from the Bharatas tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit Vedas (Hindu religious texts); the name is also associated with Emperor Bharata, the legendary conqueror of India
- Local long form
- Republic of India (English)/ Bharatiya Ganarajya (Hindi)
- Local short form
- India (English)/ Bharat (Hindi)
- Conventional long form
- Republic of India
- Conventional short form
- India
- Independence
- 15 August 1947 (from the UK)
- 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
- Government type
- federal parliamentary republic
Judicial Branch
- Highest court(s)
- Supreme Court (consists of 28 judges, including the chief justice)
- Subordinate courts
- High Courts; District Courts; Labour Court
- Judge selection and term of office
- justices appointed by the president to serve until age 65
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%- Head of government
- Prime Minister Narendra MODI (since 26 May 2014)
- Most recent election date
- 18 July 2022
- Election/appointment process
- president indirectly elected for a 5-year term (no term limits) by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament
- Expected date of next election
- July 2027
- National holiday
- Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
- National color(s)
- saffron, white, green
National Heritage
- Total world heritage sites
- 44 (36 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed)
- Selected world heritage site locales
- Taj Mahal (c); Agra Fort (c); Elphanta Caves (c); Hill Forts of Rajasthan (c); Sundarbans National Park (n); Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (c); Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (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); Churches and Convents of Goa (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); 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); Historic City of Ahmadabad (c); Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (c); Jaipur City, Rajasthan (c); Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana (c); Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty (c); Maratha Military Landscapes of India (c)
- Political parties
- Aam Aadmi Party or AAP
All India Trinamool Congress or AITC
Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP
Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP
Biju Janata Dal or BJD
Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI(M)
Dravida Munnetra Khazhagam
Indian National Congress or INC
Nationalist Congress Party or NCP
Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD
Samajwadi Party or SP
Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD
Shiv Sena or SS
Telegana Rashtra Samithi or TRS
Telugu Desam Party or TDP
YSR Congress or YSRCP or YCP
Legislative Branch
- 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
- Legislature name
- Parliament (Sansad)
- Legislative structure
- bicameral
National Anthem(s)
- Title
- "Jana-Gana-Mana" (Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People)
- History
- adopted 1950; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote Bangladesh's national anthem
- Lyrics/music
- Rabindranath TAGORE
- National symbol(s)
- the Lion Capital of Ashoka, which depicts four Asiatic lions standing back-to-back and mounted on a circular abacus (official); Bengal tiger and lotus flower (traditional)
- 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
Legislative Branch Lower Chamber
- Chamber name
- House of the People (Lok Sabha)
- Term in office
- 5 years
- Number of seats
- 545 (543 directly elected; 2 appointed)
- Electoral system
- plurality/majority
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Most recent election date
- 4/19/2024 to 6/1/2024
- Expected date of next election
- April 2029
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 13.8%
- Parties elected and seats per party
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (240); Indian National Congress (INC) (99); Samajwadi Party (SP) (37); All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) (29); Other (138)
Legislative Branch Upper Chamber
- Chamber name
- Council of States (Rajya Sabha)
- Term in office
- 6 years
- Number of seats
- 245 (233 indirectly elected; 12 appointed)
- Scope of elections
- partial renewal
- Most recent election date
- 1/12/2024 to 6/30/2024
- Expected date of next election
- January 2026
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 16.7%
Diplomatic Representation in the US
- Fax
- [1] (202) 265-4351
- Chancery
- 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- Telephone
- [1] (202) 939-7000
- 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.in
https://www.indianembassyusa.gov.in/
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Fax
- [91] (11) 2419-0017
- Embassy
- Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi - 110021
- Telephone
- [91] (11) 2419-8000
- Mailing address
- 9000 New Delhi Place, Washington DC 20521-9000
- Chief of mission
- Ambassador-designate Sergio GOR (since 11 October 2025)
- Consulate(s) general
- Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay)
- Email address and website
acsnd@state.gov
https://in.usembassy.gov/
- International organisations
- 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
- International law organization participation
- accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
Legislature
INDIA · LOWER HOUSE
Lok Sabha
545 seats · hover a seat for the party
Total seats
545
Majority line
274
Largest party
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Parties
42
All political parties
Upper house
INDIA · UPPER HOUSE
Rajya Sabha
245 seats · hover a seat for the party
Total seats
245
Majority line
124
Largest party
Others
Parties
4
All political parties
Next election
Last: 2024
Leaders
Current
Droupadi Murmu
- Head of State
Narendra Modi
- Head of Government
Economy
Budget
- 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
- $311.824 billion (2022 est.)
- Expenditures
- $486.598 billion (2022 est.)
Exports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $827.4B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
- Exports 2022
- $767.643 billion (2022 est.)
- Exports 2023
- $773.177 billion (2023 est.)
- Exports 2024
- $822.046 billion (2024 est.)
Imports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $918.3B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
- Imports 2022
- $902.304 billion (2022 est.)
- Imports 2023
- $859.507 billion (2023 est.)
- Imports 2024
- $923.081 billion (2024 est.)
- Industries
- textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals
- Labor force
- 607.691 million (2024 est.)
Public Debt
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 46.5%
- Note
- note: central government debt as a % of GDP
- Public debt 2018
- 46.5% of GDP (2018 est.)
Remittances
- Note
- note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
- Remittances 2022
- 3.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 3.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Remittances 2024
- 3.5% of GDP (2024 est.)
Exchange Rates
- Currency
- Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar -
- 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.)
- Exchange rates 2024
- 83.669 (2024 est.)
Debt External
- Note
- note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
- Debt external 2023
- $212.728 billion (2023 est.)
- 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
Unemployment Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 4.2%
- Note
- note: % of labor force seeking employment
- Unemployment rate 2022
- 4.9% (2022 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2023
- 4.2% (2023 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2024
- 4.3% (2024 est.)
- Exports partners
- USA 19%, UAE 7%, China 4%, Germany 3%, UK 3% (2023)
- Imports partners
- China 19%, Russia 10%, USA 6%, UAE 6%, Saudi Arabia 5% (2023)
Real GDP Per Capita
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $11,160
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $8,600 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $9,300 (2023 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2024
- $9,800 (2024 est.)
Real GDP Growth Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 6.5%
- Note
- note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- 7.6% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- 9.2% (2023 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2024
- 6.5% (2024 est.)
- Agricultural products
- sugarcane, rice, milk, wheat, bison milk, potatoes, vegetables, maize, bananas, onions (2023)
- Exports commodities
- refined petroleum, packaged medicine, diamonds, broadcasting equipment, garments (2023)
- Imports commodities
- crude petroleum, gold, coal, natural gas, integrated circuits (2023)
Current Account Balance
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- -$32.0B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
- Current account balance 2022
- -$79.051 billion (2022 est.)
- Current account balance 2023
- -$31.962 billion (2023 est.)
- Current account balance 2024
- -$32.428 billion (2024 est.)
- Taxes and other revenues
- 6.7% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
- GDP (official exchange rate)
- $3.913 trillion (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY End Use
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
- Household consumption
- 61.5% (2024 est.)
- Government consumption
- 10.1% (2024 est.)
- Investment in inventories
- 3% (2024 est.)
- Investment in fixed capital
- 29.6% (2024 est.)
- Exports of goods and services
- 21.2% (2024 est.)
- Imports of goods and services
- -23.5% (2024 est.)
Average Household Expenditures
- On food
- 29.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
- On alcohol and tobacco
- 2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 5.0%
- Note
- note: annual % change based on consumer prices
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
- 6.7% (2022 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
- 5.6% (2023 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
- 5% (2024 est.)
- Industrial production growth rate
- 5.6% (2024 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $14.244 trillion (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $12.251 trillion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $13.377 trillion (2023 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
- $14.244 trillion (2024 est.)
Youth Unemployment Rate (Ages 15 24)
- Male
- 15.5% (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
- Total
- 16% (2024 est.)
- Female
- 17.6% (2024 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 2022
- $567.298 billion (2022 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
- $627.793 billion (2023 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024
- $643.043 billion (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
- Industry
- 24.5% (2024 est.)
- Services
- 49.9% (2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 16.4% (2024 est.)
Household Income or Consumption BY Percentage Share
- Note
- note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
- Lowest 10%
- 4.5% (2022 est.)
- Highest 10%
- 22.1% (2022 est.)
Gini Index Coefficient Distribution of Family Income
- Note
- note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
- Gini index coefficient distribution of family income 2022
- 25.5 (2022 est.)
Energy
Coal
- Exports
- 1.632 million metric tons (2023 est.)
- Imports
- 243.488 million metric tons (2023 est.)
- Production
- 1.02 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 1.262 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
- Proven reserves
- 127.727 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
- Total petroleum production
- 822,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- Crude oil estimated reserves
- 4.605 billion barrels (2021 est.)
- Refined petroleum consumption
- 5.271 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Electricity
- Exports
- 9.529 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Imports
- 7.843 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 1.5 trillion kWh (2023 est.)
- Installed generating capacity
- 499.136 million kW (2023 est.)
- Transmission/distribution losses
- 303.066 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Natural Gas
- Exports
- 91.921 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
- Imports
- 29.337 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Production
- 35.168 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 62.196 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Proven reserves
- 1.381 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Nuclear Energy
- Number of operational nuclear reactors
- 20 (2025)
- Percent of total electricity production
- 3.1% (2023 est.)
- Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors
- 6.92GW (2025 est.)
- Number of nuclear reactors under construction
- 7 (2025)
Electricity Access
- Electrification rural areas
- 99.3%
- Electrification urban areas
- 100%
- Electrification total population
- 99.2% (2022 est.)
Energy Consumption Per Capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023
- 25.179 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Electricity Generation Sources
- Wind
- 5.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Solar
- 6.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Nuclear
- 2.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Fossil fuels
- 75.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Hydroelectricity
- 8.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Biomass and waste
- 1.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Communications
Internet Users
- Percent of population
- 56% (2022 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 number of privately owned TV stations are distributed by cable and satellite service providers; cable and satellite TV offer 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 have increased rapidly (2020)
- Internet country code
- .in
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Total subscriptions
- 27.455 million (2022 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 2 (2023 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Total subscriptions
- 1.15 billion (2024 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 79 (2024 est.)
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Total
- 39.3 million (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 2 (2022 est.)
Transport
Ports
- Large
- 4
- Small
- 13
- Medium
- 4
- Key ports
- Calcutta, Chennai (Madras), Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Shiva), Kattupalli Port, Kochi (Cochin), Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam
- Very small
- 30
- Total ports
- 56 (2024)
- Size unknown
- 5
- Ports with oil terminals
- 18
- Airports
- 315 (2025)
Railways
- Total
- 65,554 km (2014)
- Broad gauge
- 63,950 km (2014) (39, 329 km electrified)
- Narrow gauge
- 1,604 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge
- Heliports
- 289 (2025)
Merchant Marine
- Total
- 1,859 (2023)
- BY type
- bulk carrier 66, container ship 22, general cargo 607, oil tanker 144, other 1020
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- VT
Environment
- Climate
- varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Land Use
- Other
- 15.5% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 24.4% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 60.1% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 51.8% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 4.9% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 3.4% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 36.4% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 2.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Methane Emissions
- Other
- 644.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Waste
- 4,773.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Energy
- 8,217.3 kt (2022-2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 17,971 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and Recycling
- Municipal solid waste generated annually
- 189.75 million tons (2024 est.)
- Percent of municipal solid waste recycled
- 17.8% (2022 est.)
- Environmental issues
- deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and agricultural pesticides; tap water not potable; growing population overstraining natural resources; biodiversity loss
Total Water Withdrawal
- Municipal
- 56 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Industrial
- 17 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Agricultural
- 688 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
- Total emissions
- 2.821 billion metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From consumed natural gas
- 124.226 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From coal and metallurgical coke
- 2.054 billion metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From petroleum and other liquids
- 642.909 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- Particulate matter emissions
- 55.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- Total renewable water resources
- 1.911 trillion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International Environmental 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
Military & Security
- Military note
- the Indian military's primary mission is external/territorial defense while secondary missions include regional power projection, UN peacekeeping deployments, humanitarian operations, and support to internal security forces; it participates in multinational exercises and is one of the world's largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations
the military's chief external focuses are China and Pakistan; the short 1962 Sino-India War left in place one of the World’s longest disputed international borders--known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC)--resulting in occasional standoffs between Indian and Chinese security forces, including lethal clashes in 1975 and 2020; naval competition and influence in the Indian Ocean is also an area of interest
India has fought four wars and several skirmishes with Pakistan; three of the wars have been over the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, the status of which has been unsettled since the UK's 1947 withdrawal and the partition and independence of India and Pakistan; a fragile cease-fire in Kashmir was reached in 2003, revised in 2018, and reaffirmed in 2021, although the militarized Line of Control which serves as the border remains contested, and India has accused Pakistan of backing armed separatists and terrorist organizations in Jammu and Kashmir where Indian military and security forces have conducted counterinsurgency operations since the 1980s; in the Spring of 2025, India held Pakistan responsible for a terrorist attack in India-controlled Kashmir and retaliated, sparking a brief cross-border conflict involving aircraft, artillery, drone, and missile strikes
the Kashmir dispute also includes the Siachen Glacier, located in the Karakoram Mountain Range, which was seized by India in 1984 with Pakistan attempting to retake the area several times between 1985 and 1995; despite the 2003 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 (2025) - Military deployments
- 1,100 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 200 Golan Heights (UNDOF); 900 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 2,400 South Sudan (UNMISS); 600 Sudan (UNISFA) (2025)
Military Expenditures
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 2.3%
- 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 expenditures 2024
- 2% of GDP (2024 est.)
- Military and security forces
- Indian Armed Forces (IAF): Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard
Ministry of Home Affairs: Central Police Organization, 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) (2025) - Military service age and obligation
- ages vary by branch of service and positions, but generally 17-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)
- Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the military's inventory consists of Russian- and Soviet-origin equipment along with a smaller 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, the UK, and the US; 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 (2025)
- Military and security service personnel strengths
- information varies; approximately 1.5 million active Indian Armed Forces, including about 1.25 million in the Army (2025)
Terrorism
- Terrorist group(s)
- al-Qa’ida; al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS); Harakat ul-Mujahidin; Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HUJI); Hizbul Mujahideen; Indian Mujahedeen; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) – India (ISI); Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM); Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; The Resistance Front (TRF)
Space
- Space launch site(s)
- Satish Dhawan Space Center (aka Sriharikota Range; located in Andhra Pradesh); Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (Kerala) (2025)
- Space agency/agencies
- Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO; originally established in 1962 as the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR); renamed ISRO in 1969); Defense Space Agency (DSA; established 2019) (2025)
- 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; researching and developing additional technologies and capabilities; developing astronaut program and human flight capabilities (with assistance from Russia and the US); has space-related agreements with the ESA and more than 50 countries, including China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the US; participates in international projects such as the Square Kilometer Array radio telescope; the Department of Space administers two government-controlled space industry corporations; has a growing private space sector (2025)
- Key space program milestones
- 1963 - first sounding (research) rocket launched
1975 - first domestically made scientific satellite (Aryabhata) launched by Soviet Union
1979 - first experimental remote sensing (RS) satellite (Bhaskara-I) launched by Soviet Union
1980 - first successful launch of satellite (Rohini) on Indian satellite launch vehicle (SLV)
1984 - first Indian in space on a Soviet rocket
1988 - first operational RS satellite (IRS-1A) launched by Soviet Union
1994 - first successful launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), India’s premier SLV
2008 - first lunar orbiter/probe (Chandrayaan-1) launched, reached lunar orbit, and sent a probe to the surface of the Moon
2014 - first interplanetary probe (Mangalyaan) reached orbit around Mars
2018 - Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (INRSS) became operational
2019 - launched lunar orbiter/probe (Chandrayaan-2) with lander and rover (lander lost when it crash-landed on Moon’s surface)
2023 - successfully landed uncrewed lander/rover mission (Chandrayaan-3) on Moon's surface
2024 - launched satellite (XPoSat) to study black holes and placed solar observatory spacecraft (Aditya-L1) in orbital position to study the Sun
2025 - first docking of two orbiting satellites and sent its first astronaut to the International Space Station
Transnational Issues
Illicit Drugs
- Usg identification
major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country
major precursor-chemical producer (2025)
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- Idps
- 642,610 (2024 est.)
- Refugees
- 250,006 (2024 est.)
- Stateless persons
- 23,262 (2024 est.)
Scores & Rankings
ScoreValueGlobal rankTrendAs of
Civica Index45.0 / 100as of 2024-Q499 / 190−10.02024-Q4
Civica Pulse−1.5as of 2026-05-06—2026-05-06
V-Dem Liberal Democracy0.29as of 2024-Q498 / 170−0.142024-Q4
Freedom House StatusNot Free (67/100)as of 2024-Q4—−3.02024-Q4
Press Freedom (RSF)Partly free (56/100)as of 2024—2024
Human Development Index0.644as of 2022—2022
Corruption Perceptions Index39 / 100as of 202393 / 1802023
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — India — vintage 2026-Q1: India factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/india
Sources: FAO FAOSTAT, ILO ILOSTAT, IMF (WEO), OECD.Stat, UN Statistics Division, UNDP HDR, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, V-Dem, WHO Global Health Observatory, World Bank, WTO Stats, CIA World Factbook, Wikidata