Learn more about Encarta products!

Also on Encarta

Also on MSN
India Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of India
Capital New Delhi
Area 3,165,596 sq km
1,222,243 sq mi
India: Flag and Anthem
India: Flag and Anthem
Expand
People
Population 1,166,079,200 (2009 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.55 percent (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 1,448,821,234 (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 1,807,878,574 (2009 estimate)
Population density 392 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)
1,016 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 29 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 71 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Kolkata (Calcutta) 13,216,546 (2001)
Delhi 12,791,458 (2001)
Mumbai (Bombay) 11,914,398 (2001)
Chennai (Madras) 6,424,624 (2001)
Hyderābād 5,533,640 (2001)
Ethnic groups
Indo-Aryan 72 percent
Dravidian 25 percent
Other 3 percent
Languages
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 69.9 years (2009 estimate)
Female 72.6 years (2009 estimate)
Male 67.5 years (2009 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 30 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 66 percent (2007 estimate)
Female 54.5 percent (2007 estimate)
Male 76.9 percent (2007 estimate)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $1,176.9 billion (2007)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $1,046.30 (2007)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 18.1 percent (2007)
Industry 29.5 percent (2007)
Services 52.4 percent (2007)
Monetary unit
1 Indian rupee (Re), consisting of 100 paise
Agriculture
Sugarcane, rice, wheat, tea, cotton, jute, vegetables, melons, sorghum, millet, cashews, coffee, spices, livestock
Mining
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
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).
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.
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2009 Microsoft