There are 24 languages spoken in India by at least 1 million people each. Numerous other languages and dialects are also spoken. Hindi is the official national language and is the primary language for 40 percent of the population. Other official languages include Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithali, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu and is spoken widely throughout northern India. English has associate status as the official working language and is important for national, political, and commercial matters.
Hindi
40 percent
Bengali
8 percent
Telugu
8 percent
Marathi
7 percent
Tamil
6 percent
Urdu
5 percent
Gujarati
5 percent
Kannada
4 percent
Malayalam
4 percent
Oriya
3 percent
Punjabi
3 percent
Assamese
2 percent
Other
5 percent
Religious affiliations*
Hindu
80.5 percent
Muslim
13.4 percent
Christian
2.3 percent
Sikh
1.9 percent
Buddhist
0.8 percent
Nonreligious
0.7 percent
Other
0.4 percent
*2001 Census
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total
68.6 years (2007 estimate)
Female
71.2 years (2007 estimate)
Male
66.3 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate
35 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician
1,951 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed
1,111 people (2003)
Literacy rate
Total
56.6 percent (2005 estimate)
Female
43 percent (2005 estimate)
Male
69.5 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP)
2.9 percent (1999-2000)
Number of years of compulsory schooling
9 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school
41 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government
Federal republic
Head of state
President
Head of government
Prime minister
Legislature
Bicameral legislature
Lok Sabha (House of the People): 545 members
Rajya Sabha (Council of States): 245 members
Voting qualifications
Universal at age 18
Constitution
26 January 1950; amended 1975, 1986, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003
Highest court
Supreme Court
Armed forces
Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military personnel
1,325,000 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP)
Iron ore, coal, bauxite, manganese, mica, dolomite, copper, petroleum, natural gas, chromium, lead, limestone, phosphate rock, zinc, gold, silver
Manufacturing
Textiles, iron and steel, processed agricultural products, machinery, transportation equipment, nonferrous metals, fertilizer, refined petroleum, chemicals, computer software
Major exports
Gems and jewelry, engineering goods, garments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, cotton yarn and fabrics, leather and leather goods, marine products, iron ore, tea, vegetables and fruit, petroleum products, handmade carpets
Major imports
Petroleum and petroleum products, nonelectric machinery, precious and semiprecious stones, inorganic chemicals, iron and steel, fertilizers, electrical machinery, resins and plastics
Major trade partners for exports
United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong SAR, Germany, and Japan
Major trade partners for imports
United States, Singapore, Belgium, United Kingdom, and Germany
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources
84 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources
12.30 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources
2.94 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources
0.76 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people
120 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people
46 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people
77 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people
0.82 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people
60 (1998)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people
9.1 (2000)
Paved road as a share of total roads
63 percent (2002)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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