Page last modified 18 August 2023
India
Community
Area
Pre-1947; 4,048,400 square kilometres (including what is now Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka)
Post 1947; 3,287,263� square kilometres (excluding Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka). Land area 2,973,193 square kilometres
Population,
Inc.
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
150,000,000 (1700)
200,000,000 (1800)
253,000,000 (1881)
279,446,248 (1891)
283,872,359 (1901)
303,012,598 (1911)
305,693,063 (1921)
338,119,154 (1931)
388,997,995 (1941)
Ex
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
314,804,664 (1941)
361,129,622 (1951)
439,235,082 (14.7%*) (1961)
547,949,809 (14.9%*) (1971)
683,810,051 (15.5%*) (1981)
846,302,688 (16.2%*) (1991)
1,028,610,328 (17.1%*) (2001)
1,250,000,000 (2011)
1,380,000,000 (2020)
* Percentage of world population
India�s population was officially reckoned as one billion on 12 May 2000.
Ethno-linguistic
|
|
Aryan |
Bengali |
Dravidian |
Hindi |
Marathi |
Mongolian |
|
1970 |
|
8.1 |
|
24.0 |
9.0 |
|
|
2009 |
72.0 |
|
25.0 |
|
|
3.0 |
Religion, %
|
|
Buddhist |
Christian R C |
Hindu |
Muslim Sunni |
Sikh |
|
1901 |
0.1 |
0.6 |
70.4 |
21.1 |
0.9 |
|
1931* |
0.1 |
1.8 |
71.0 |
23.0 |
1.3 |
|
1951 |
|
2.5 |
|
9.7 |
1.7 |
|
1970 |
0.7 |
|
79.8 |
11.2 |
1.9 |
|
1985 |
0.8 |
|
78.5 |
11.6 |
2.0 |
|
1990 |
|
3.0 |
83.0 |
11.0 |
|
|
2000 |
|
|
80.0 |
13.0 |
1.8 |
|
2015 |
0.7 |
2.3 |
79.8 |
14.2 |
1.7 |
*For
all India and Pakistan, before partition in 1947
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1891 |
|
|
|
|
39.11 |
|
|
|
1900 |
|
|
232.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1913 |
|
38.6 (+8.7) |
204.0 |
29.9 |
|
|
|
|
1918 |
|
|
219.0 |
|
|
|
11.22 |
|
1923 |
|
|
174.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1930 |
|
34.4 (+10.9) |
176.0 |
23.5 |
|
|
|
|
1940 |
|
28.0 (+5.5) |
161.0 |
22.5 |
|
|
|
|
1952 |
|
44.0 (+19.0) |
|
25.0 |
36.9 |
3.3 |
17.1 |
|
1962 |
5.8 |
42.0 (+20.7) |
159.0 |
21.3 |
40.9 |
3.2 |
18.2 |
|
1972 |
5.4 |
38.5 (+22.2) |
135.8 |
16.3 |
40.6 |
3.4 |
20.3 |
|
1980 |
4.8 |
35.0 (+21.8) |
114.3 |
13.2 |
39.2 |
3.6 |
23.1 |
|
1990 |
4.1 |
31.0 (+20.0) |
88.4 |
11.0 |
37.9 |
3.8 |
25.5 |
|
2000 |
3.3 |
25.1 (+16.4) |
66.6 |
8.7 |
34.7 |
4.4 |
27.7 |
|
2010 |
2.6 |
22.0 (+14.5) |
45.5 |
7.5 |
30.9 |
5.1 |
30.9 |
|
2015 |
2.3 |
19.3 (+12.0) |
35.0 |
7.3 |
28.7 |
5.6 |
32.7 |
|
2017 |
2.2 |
18.1 (+10.8) |
31.5 |
7.3 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
29.9 |
|
27.1 |
6.2 |
34.0 |
1Males only
21920 figure
Life expectancy,
23.8 (1901); 23.6 (M), 24.0 (F)
23.0 (1911); 22.6 (M), 23.3 (F)
20.2 (1921); 19.4 (M), 20.9 (F)
26.8 (1931); 26.9 (M), 26.6 (F)
31.8 (1941); 32.1 (M), 31.4 (F)
32.1 (1951); 32.5 (M), 31.7 (F)
41.3 (1961); 41.9 (M), 40.6 (F)
45.6 (1971); 46.4 (M), 44.7 (F)
55.0 (1981); 55.0 (M), 55.0 (F)
58.5 (1991); 58.0 (M), 59.0 (F)
63.0 (2001); 62.1 (M), 63.8 (F)
66.6 (2010); 65.5 (M), 67.8 (F)
69.7 (2020); 68.5 (M), 71.0 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s MA = Metropolitan Area
|
|
Agra1 |
Ahmedabad2 |
Bangalore |
Chennai3 |
Hyderabad |
MA |
Jaipur |
|
1600 |
500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1791 |
|
|
|
300 |
|
|
|
|
1850 |
|
|
|
|
200 |
|
|
|
1871 |
|
117 |
143 |
|
|
|
|
|
1881 |
|
|
156 |
406 |
|
|
|
|
1891 |
169 |
148 |
|
453 |
415 |
|
159 |
|
1901 |
188 |
186 |
160 |
509 |
448 |
|
160 |
|
1911 |
|
216 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1941 |
|
672 |
406 |
777 |
739 |
|
|
|
1951 |
348 |
904 |
779 |
|
1,085 |
|
284 |
|
1961 |
462 |
1,142 |
905 |
1,729 |
1,119 |
|
403 |
|
1971 |
|
1,600 |
1,654 |
2,469 |
1,361 |
|
|
|
1981 |
770 |
2,515 |
2,914 |
4,277 |
2,528 |
|
1,005 |
|
1991 |
892 |
3,298 |
4,087 |
5,361 |
3,059 |
4,280 |
1,514 |
|
2001 |
1,321 |
4,520 MA |
5,687 MA |
6,425 MA |
3,450 |
5,534 |
2,334 |
|
2011 |
1,760 MA |
6,368 MA |
8,729 MA |
8,653 MA |
|
6,809 |
3,046 |
*Reduction from 1891 due to outbreak of bubonic plague, 1898-1900. 30,000 died and many others fled Mumbai.
1Agra was founded by the Mogul rulers of India in 1566, and was capital of the Mogul Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries.� In 1658 Mogul Emperor Aurangzeb moved the capital to Delhi, and Agra declined in importance.� The city was captured by the British in 1803.
2Ahmedabad was founded in 1412 AD by Ahmed Shah.
3The first settlement at Chennai (Madras) was by the British, for trading purposes, in 1639, then known as Fort St George.
Population of principal cities, 1,000s MA = Metropolitan Area
|
|
Kanpur |
Kolkata4 |
Lucknow |
Mumbai5 |
Nagpur |
New Delhi6 |
Pune |
|
1600 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1710 |
|
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1750 |
|
118 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1831 |
|
187 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1837 |
|
230 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1851 |
|
650 |
|
560 |
|
140 |
73 |
|
1861 |
|
|
|
|
115 |
|
|
|
1871 |
|
|
290 |
|
|
|
90 |
|
1881 |
|
|
261 |
773 |
|
|
|
|
1891 |
|
978 |
273 |
822 |
117 |
193 |
130 |
|
1901 |
|
1,122 |
264 |
771 |
128 |
209 |
153 |
|
1911 |
|
|
259 |
|
|
|
|
|
1941 |
|
2,110 |
387 |
1,500 |
|
522 |
|
|
1951 |
689 |
5,153 MA |
487 |
3,335 |
|
1,737 |
|
|
1961 |
895 |
|
595 |
4,152 |
644 |
2,062 |
598 |
|
1971 |
|
|
814 |
5,970 |
|
3,288 |
|
|
1981 |
1,688 |
9,166 MA |
1,007 |
8,227 |
1,298 |
5,714 |
1,685 |
|
1991 |
2,030 |
11,673 MA |
1,642 |
|
|
|
|
|
2001 |
2,690 MA |
13,217 MA |
2,266 MA |
11,914 |
2,122 MA |
9,817 |
3,756 MA |
|
2011 |
2,920 MA |
14,618 MA |
2,902 MA |
12,442 MA |
2,497 MA |
26,454 MA |
5,058 MA |
4Kolkata (Calcutta) was founded in 1690 by Job Charnock of the British East India Company.� It was the capital of British-administered India from 1773 until 1912, when Delhi was designated the new capital.
5Mumbai, transliterated by the English as �Bombay�, is Gujerati for �Persian�.� The city was a place of refuge for Parsees, who fled Iran to here in the 7th century to escape persecution following the Muslim conquest of Iran.
6New Delhi replaced Kolkata (Calcutta) as capital of India in 1912.� Delhi is an ancient city, with monuments from the 13th century. New Delhi was planned and laid out between 1911 and 1931.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
26,000 |
11.63 |
75 |
4.92 |
|
1956 |
20,100 |
5.61 |
|
|
|
1960 |
36,535 |
6.72 |
81 |
2.69 |
|
1965 |
55,726 |
7.49 |
118 |
3.08 |
|
1970 |
63,300 |
6.09 |
111 |
2.12 |
|
1975 |
97.160 |
0.01 |
156 |
1.99 |
|
1980 |
174,730 |
6.25 |
236 |
1.87 |
|
1985 |
223,010 |
5.29 |
296 |
1.62 |
|
1990 |
311,500 |
5.37 |
373 |
1.56 |
|
1995 |
346,870 |
4.69 |
376 |
1.25 |
|
2000 |
474,190 |
4.76 |
457 |
1.25 |
|
2005 |
785,500 |
6.00 |
707 |
1.60 |
|
2010 |
1,727,000 |
11.54 |
1,345 |
2.78 |
|
2015 |
2,111,750 |
11.71 |
1,613 |
2.87 |
|
2016 |
2,263,500 |
12.19 |
1,709 |
2.97 |
GDP by primary sector, Under British colonial rule, in the early 2oth century Indian industry was suppressed to facilitate British industrial exports to India.� Many Indian labourers were forced back into agriculture.
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1891 |
|
61.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1931 |
|
73.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
1951 |
|
71.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
1960 |
49.0 |
74.0 |
|
11.0 |
|
15.0 |
|
1970 |
41.0 |
72.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
41.0 |
71.0 |
15.0 |
13.0 |
38.0 |
16.0 |
|
1990 |
31.0 |
62.0 |
28.0 |
11.0 |
39.5 |
27.0 |
|
2000 |
24.5 |
60.0 |
26.0 |
17.0 |
49.0 |
23.0 |
|
2010 |
15.5 |
52.0 |
28.6 |
14.0 |
55.3 |
34.0 |
|
2014 |
|
47.0 |
|
22.0 |
|
31.0 |
|
2016 |
17.4 |
|
28.8 |
|
46.2 |
|
Communications
Language Official; Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Marathi, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Sindhi, Sanskrit Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, % speakers
|
|
Bengali |
Gujerati |
Hindi |
Marathi |
Punjabi |
Tamil |
Telugu |
Urdu |
|
1901 |
3.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1990 |
8.0 |
5.0 |
30.0 |
8.1 |
|
7.0 |
8.0 |
5.0 |
|
2001 |
8.1 |
4.5 |
41.0 |
7.1 |
2.8 |
5.9 |
7.2 |
5.0 |
|
2018 |
|
|
43.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
Literacy
6.9% (1911); 12.2% (M), 1.2% (F)
8.2% (1921); 13.9% (M), 2.1% (F)
9.5% (1931); 15.6% (M), 2.9% (F)
14.6% (1941); 21.2% (M), 5.3% (F)
17.0% (1951)
28.0% (1961)
29.4% (1971); 39.5% (M), 18.5% (F)
36.2% (1981); 46.7% (M), 24.9% (F)
52.2% (1991); 64.2% (M), 39.2% (F)
61.0% (2001); 73.4% (M), 47.8% (F)
71.2% (2015); 81.3% (M), 60.6% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1930 |
|
|
125,000 |
|
|
|
1938 |
459,350 |
|
|
|
|
|
1940 |
|
|
|
94,788 |
43,187 |
|
1947 |
|
|
|
132,300 |
60,330 |
|
1956 |
|
|
378,000 |
202,400 |
|
|
1959 |
|
|
541,000 |
|
145,000 |
|
1961 |
633,946 |
231,696 |
|
312,300 |
|
|
1966 |
|
|
1,000,000 |
400,000 |
230,000 |
|
1974 |
1,232,300 |
|
|
|
|
|
1976 |
1,367,000 |
538,000 |
2,635,000 |
690,000 |
350,000 |
|
1986 |
1,850,000 |
730,000 |
10,000,000 |
1,620,000 |
950,000 |
|
1990 |
2,040,000 |
950,000 |
|
|
|
|
1996 |
|
|
|
4,190,000 |
1,785,000 |
|
2000 |
3,319,644 |
1,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
2006 |
|
|
|
|
4,436,000 |
|
2010 |
3,320,410 |
|
|
|
|
|
2012 |
|
|
159,500,000 |
|
|
|
2015 |
4,699,024 |
|
210,000,000 |
22,500,000 |
|
Including
Pakistan and Bangladesh
Railways; First railway opened 1853, Mumbai to Thana.
|
|
Length (km) |
% electrified |
|
1860 |
1,349 |
|
|
1870 |
7,681 |
|
|
1880 |
14,751 |
|
|
1890 |
26,406 |
|
|
1900 |
39,851 |
|
|
1910 |
51,679 |
|
|
1920 |
59,143 |
|
|
1930 |
67,176 |
|
|
1940 |
66,261 |
|
|
1950 |
54,775 |
|
|
1954 |
54,775 |
1.7 |
|
1962 |
57,089 |
|
|
1990 |
62,660 |
|
|
2000 |
63,000 |
23.2 |
|
2014 |
68,525 |
34.5 |
Including
Pakistan and Bangladesh
Urban metro systems, kilometres (year opened)
|
|
Bangalore (2011) |
Chennai (Madras) (1997) |
Kolkata (1984) |
New Delhi (2002) |
|
2000 |
|
16.0 |
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
23.0 |
|
2010 |
|
|
25.2 |
138.3 |
|
2012 |
6.7 |
19.0 |
|
190.0 |
|
2015 |
42.4 |
27.9 |
27.2 |
231.0 |
Electronic communications, TV broadcasts began from Delhi in 1959 (colour from 1982).
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1945 |
120,000 |
|
199,589 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
546,000 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
428,000 |
|
2,092,381 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
|
|
2,341,643 |
500 |
|
|
|
1962 |
546,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1974 |
|
|
|
275,424 |
|
|
|
1975 |
1,465,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
17,359,710 |
|
|
|
|
1980 |
2,150,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1981 |
|
|
|
2,096,000 |
|
|
|
1990 |
5,075,000 |
|
67,000,000 |
27,000,000 |
|
|
|
1988 |
|
|
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
76,680 |
111,000,000 |
47,000,000 |
1,200,000 |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
|
500,000 |
|
2000 |
41,420,000 |
3,577,000 |
123,000,000 |
|
4,600,000 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
7,000,000 |
|
2005 |
|
90,000,000 |
|
151,200,000 |
17,000,000 |
28,000,000 |
|
2006 |
40,700,000 |
752,000,000 |
|
|
30,900,000 |
40,000,000 |
|
2010 |
35,770,000 |
|
|
|
|
100,000,000 |
|
2016 |
24,404,000 |
1,127,800,000 |
|
|
85,000,000 |
374,328,000 |
|
2018 |
|
|
|
|
|
512,000,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to India,
423,161 (1974)
700,000 (1980)
1,260,000 (1985)
1,707,000 (1990)
2,124,000 (1995)
2,649,000 (2000)
3,918,610 (2005)
5,776,000 (2010)
13,284,000 (2015)