Chart and table of India population from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

The statistic shows the total population of India from 2019 to 2029. In 2023, the estimated total population in India amounted to approximately 1.43 billion people.

Total population in India

India currently has the second-largest population in the world and is projected to overtake top-ranking China within forty years. Its residents comprise more than one-seventh of the entire world’s population, and despite a slowly decreasing fertility rate (which still exceeds the replacement rate and keeps the median age of the population relatively low), an increasing life expectancy adds to an expanding population. In comparison with other countries whose populations are decreasing, such as Japan, India has a relatively small share of aged population, which indicates the probability of lower death rates and higher retention of the existing population.

With a land mass of less than half that of the United States and a population almost four times greater, India has recognized potential problems of its growing population. Government attempts to implement family planning programs have achieved varying degrees of success. Initiatives such as sterilization programs in the 1970s have been blamed for creating general antipathy to family planning, but the combined efforts of various family planning and contraception programs have helped halve fertility rates since the 1960s. The population growth rate has correspondingly shrunk as well, but has not yet reached less than one percent growth per year.

As home to thousands of ethnic groups, hundreds of languages, and numerous religions, a cohesive and broadly-supported effort to reduce population growth is difficult to create. Despite that, India is one country to watch in coming years. It is also a growing economic power; among other measures, its GDP per capita was expected to triple between 2003 and 2013 and was listed as the third-ranked country for its share of the global gross domestic product.

In 1800, the population of the region of present-day India was approximately 169 million. The population would grow gradually throughout the 19th century, rising to over 240 million by 1900. Population growth would begin to increase in the 1920s, as a result of falling mortality rates, due to improvements in health, sanitation and infrastructure. However, the population of India would see it’s largest rate of growth in the years following the country’s independence from the British Empire in 1948, where the population would rise from 358 million to over one billion by the turn of the century, making India the second country to pass the billion person milestone. While the rate of growth has slowed somewhat as India begins a demographics shift, the country’s population has continued to grow dramatically throughout the 21st century, and in 2020, India is estimated to have a population of just under 1.4 billion, well over a billion more people than one century previously. Today, approximately 18% of the Earth’s population lives in India, and it is estimated that India will overtake China to become the most populous country in the world within the next five years.

Rural population (% of total population) in India was reported at 63.64 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

The annual population growth in India increased by 0.1 percentage points (+14.71 percent) in 2023 in comparison to the previous year. This was the first time during the observed period that the population growth has increased in India. Population growth refers to the annual change in population, and is based on the balance between birth and death rates, as well as migration.Find more key insights for the annual population growth in countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The total population in India was estimated at 1386.2 million people in 2023, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - India Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Population: Delhi data was reported at 21.588 Person mn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 21.195 Person mn for 2023. Population: Delhi data is updated yearly, averaging 16.001 Person mn from Mar 1994 (Median) to 2024, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.588 Person mn in 2024 and a record low of 10.446 Person mn in 1994. Population: Delhi data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.GAA001: Population. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Key information about India population

• The India population reached 1,408.0 million people in Mar 2025, compared with the previously reported figure of 1,395.0 million people in Mar 2024
• The data reached an all-time high of 1,408.0 million people in Mar 2025 and a record low of 359.0 million people in Mar 1951

Population density per pixel at 100 metre resolution. WorldPop provides estimates of numbers of people residing in each 100x100m grid cell for every low and middle income country. Through ingegrating cencus, survey, satellite and GIS datasets in a flexible machine-learning framework, high resolution maps of population counts and densities for 2000-2020 are produced, along with accompanying metadata.

DATASET: Alpha version 2010 and 2015 estimates of numbers of people per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN population division estimates (http://esa.un.org/wpp/) and remaining unadjusted.

REGION: Africa

SPATIAL RESOLUTION: 0.000833333 decimal degrees (approx 100m at the equator)

PROJECTION: Geographic, WGS84

UNITS: Estimated persons per grid square

MAPPING APPROACH: Land cover based, as described in: Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R.W., Noor, A.M. and Tatem, A.J., 2012, Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010, PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31743.

FORMAT: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool): www.7-zip.org)

FILENAMES: Example - AGO10adjv4.tif = Angola (AGO) population count map for 2010 (10) adjusted to match UN national estimates (adj), version 4 (v4). Population maps are updated to new versions when improved census or other input data become available.

India data available from WorldPop here.

The median age in India was 27 years old in 2020, meaning half the population was older than that, half younger. This figure was lowest in 1970, at 18.1 years, and was projected to increase to 47.8 years old by 2100. Aging in India India has the second largest population in the world, after China. Because of the significant population growth of the past years, the age distribution remains skewed in favor of the younger age bracket. This tells a story of rapid population growth, but also of a lower life expectancy. Economic effects of a young population Many young people means that the Indian economy must support a large number of students, who demand education from the economy but cannot yet work. Educating the future workforce will be important, because the economy is growing as well and is one of the largest in the world. Failing to do this could lead to high youth unemployment and political consequences. However, a productive and young workforce could provide huge economic returns for India.

India Census: Population: Age: Total data was reported at 1,210,854,977.000 Person in 2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,028,610,328.000 Person for 2001. India Census: Population: Age: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 1,028,610,328.000 Person from Mar 1991 (Median) to 2011, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,210,854,977.000 Person in 2011 and a record low of 838,567,936.000 Person in 1991. India Census: Population: Age: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAD002: Census: Population: by Single Age.

Employment Rate in India remained unchanged at 47.20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 47.20 percent in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - India Worker Population Ratio- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

India Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Urban data was reported at 68,740,419.000 Person in 2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 49,393,496.000 Person for 2001. India Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Urban data is updated yearly, averaging 59,066,957.500 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 68,740,419.000 Person in 2011 and a record low of 49,393,496.000 Person in 2001. India Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Urban data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE001: Census: Population: by Religion.

Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) in India was reported at 47.01 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

The dataset contains year-, month-, state- and gender-wise compiled data on population of India from the year 2011 to 2036. The figures of population given for different years are the projected figures, except for the census year of 2011.

In 2022, India overtook China as the world's most populous country and now has almost 1.46 billion people. China now has the second-largest population in the world, still with just over 1.4 billion inhabitants, however, its population went into decline in 2023. Global population As of 2025, the world's population stands at almost 8.2 billion people and is expected to reach around 10.3 billion people in the 2080s, when it will then go into decline. Due to improved healthcare, sanitation, and general living conditions, the global population continues to increase; mortality rates (particularly among infants and children) are decreasing and the median age of the world population has steadily increased for decades. As for the average life expectancy in industrial and developing countries, the gap has narrowed significantly since the mid-20th century. Asia is the most populous continent on Earth; 11 of the 20 largest countries are located there. It leads the ranking of the global population by continent by far, reporting four times as many inhabitants as Africa. The Demographic Transition The population explosion over the past two centuries is part of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. Simply put, this transition results from a drastic reduction in mortality, which then leads to a reduction in fertility, and increase in life expectancy; this interim period where death rates are low and birth rates are high is where this population explosion occurs, and population growth can remain high as the population ages. In today's most-developed countries, the transition generally began with industrialization in the 1800s, and growth has now stabilized as birth and mortality rates have re-balanced. Across less-developed countries, the stage of this transition varies; for example, China is at a later stage than India, which accounts for the change in which country is more populous - understanding the demographic transition can help understand the reason why China's population is now going into decline. The least-developed region is Sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility rates remain close to pre-industrial levels in some countries. As these countries transition, they will undergo significant rates of population growth

india - Population Growth for India was 0.98941 % Chg. at Annual Rate in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, india - Population Growth for India reached a record high of 2.33191 in January of 1974 and a record low of 0.98941 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for india - Population Growth for India - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Population: Punjab data was reported at 32.678 Person mn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 32.256 Person mn for 2023. Population: Punjab data is updated yearly, averaging 27.955 Person mn from Mar 1994 (Median) to 2024, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 32.678 Person mn in 2024 and a record low of 21.297 Person mn in 1994. Population: Punjab data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.GAA001: Population. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

The urban indicators data available here are analyzed, compiled and published by UN-Habitat’s Global Urban Observatory which supports governments, local authorities and civil society organizations to develop urban indicators, data and statistics. Urban statistics are collected through household surveys and censuses conducted by national statistics authorities. Global Urban Observatory team analyses and compiles urban indicators statistics from surveys and censuses. Additionally, Local urban observatories collect, compile and analyze urban data for national policy development. Population statistics are produced by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Urbanization Prospects.

India Projection: Population: 10 Years data was reported at 1,522,552,390.000 Person in 2031. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,372,535,298.000 Person for 2021. India Projection: Population: 10 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 1,447,543,844.000 Person from Mar 2021 (Median) to 2031, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,522,552,390.000 Person in 2031 and a record low of 1,372,535,298.000 Person in 2021. India Projection: Population: 10 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAI002: Population Projection: 10 Years: by Age Group.