India Population
India had an estimated population of 1,463,865,525 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 1st most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 17.82% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.89% a year.
India at a glance
How India's population is changing
India's population is growing: +0.89% a year, which works out to about +12,987,174 people per year, or +35,558 a day. Births (16.0 per 1,000) and deaths (6.6 per 1,000) alone would give +0.94% a year; net migration removes about 495,753 people a year (−0.03%). Roughly one in every 6 people on Earth lives in India.
Population of India since 1960
In 1960, India had 435,990,338 people. By 2025 that was 1,463,865,525 — 3.4× larger. The fastest growth came between 1974 and 1984, when the population rose by 26%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 435,990,338 | — |
| 1970 | 545,864,268 | +25.2% |
| 1980 | 687,354,025 | +25.9% |
| 1990 | 864,972,221 | +25.8% |
| 2000 | 1,057,922,733 | +22.3% |
| 2010 | 1,243,481,564 | +17.5% |
| 2020 | 1,402,617,695 | +12.8% |
| 2025 | 1,463,865,525 | +4.4% |
India from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put India at about 200,733,034 people in 1800; the UN estimates 1,463,865,527 in 2025 (7× 1800) and projects 1,505,251,749 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2061 at 1,701,283,705 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 200,733,034 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 235,732,435 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 280,714,154 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 346,278,818 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 1,057,922,731 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 1,463,865,527 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 1,679,589,264 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 1,670,860,309 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 1,505,251,749 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in India
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 1,463,865,525. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kolkata | 22,549,738 | UN urban centre | 1.54% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Mumbai | 20,203,056 | UN urban centre | 1.38% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Bengaluru | 13,187,098 | UN urban centre | 0.90% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Chennai | 11,153,205 | UN urban centre | 0.76% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Delhi | 11,034,555 | GeoNames settlement | 0.75% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Hyderabad | 9,190,795 | UN urban centre | 0.63% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Ahmedabad | 7,632,408 | UN urban centre | 0.52% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Surat | 6,908,925 | UN urban centre | 0.47% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Pune | 6,817,951 | UN urban centre | 0.47% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Kozhikode | 6,123,872 | UN urban centre | 0.42% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How India compares
India has almost the same population as China (1,406,585,000).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs India | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 |  China | 1,406,585,000 | −4% | compare → |
| #3 |  United States | 341,784,857 | −77% | compare → |
Compare India with any country →
Same region (South Asia): Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives.
Explore around India
Land neighbours (6)
- China 1,406,585,000 · about the same population · compare
Pakistan 255,219,554 · 5.7× smaller · compare
Bangladesh 175,686,899 · 8.3× smaller · compare
Myanmar 54,850,648 · 26.7× smaller · compare
Nepal 29,618,118 · 49.4× smaller · compare
Bhutan 796,682 · 1837.5× smaller · compare
India's 6 neighbours together hold 1,922,756,901 people — 1.3× India's population. The most populous is China (1,406,585,000).
In its region
India is the 1st most populous of the 6 economies in South Asia, holding 86.5% of the region's 1,692,252,900 people.
Rankings featuring India
Cities
Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat — all India's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · India when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.