Country profile

India

Republic of India · Southern Asia

👥 Population

1,463,865,525

World Bank · 2025

🏛 Capital

New Delhi

🗺 Area

3,287,590 km²

among the world’s largest

💹 GDP (nominal)

$3.96T

World Bank · 2025

📈 HDI

0.685

UNDP · 2023

📍 Pop. density

445 /km²

💱 Currency

INR

Indian rupee

🗣 Languages

English, Hindi, Tamil

About India

India (officially Republic of India) is a country in Southern Asia, with New Delhi as its capital. It is home to roughly 1.46 billion people, giving a population density of about 445 people per square kilometre. The country covers 3,287,590 km² of land and shares land borders with 6 neighbouring countries. Its economy is valued at approximately $3.96T in nominal GDP (2025), and it records a Human Development Index of 0.685. The official currency is the Indian rupee (INR), and the main languages are English, Hindi, Tamil.

How India is governed

🏛 Federal parliamentary republic

Head of State

President

Ceremonial head of state; acts largely on the advice of the government.

Head of Government

Prime Minister

Holds real executive power; leads the Council of Ministers.

Legislature

Parliament (Sansad)

Bicameral — Lok Sabha — lower house, 543 elected seats; Rajya Sabha — upper house, states' council

Who holds the power?

India is a Westminster-style parliamentary democracy with a federal structure. The President is the constitutional head of state, but the office is largely ceremonial — real executive power rests with the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, who are drawn from and answerable to the elected Lok Sabha. The PM is usually the leader of the party or coalition that commands a majority in the lower house. States hold significant devolved powers, and an independent judiciary headed by the Supreme Court can strike down laws that violate the constitution.

Development profile (each axis 0–100%, higher is stronger)

Key indicators

Latest available data · World Bank & UNDP.

💹 Economy

GDP (PPP)

$16.19T

GDP/capita (PPP)

$11,160

GDP growth

7.6%

Inflation

2.4%

Unemployment

4.2%

👥 People

Life expectancy

72.2 yrs

Fertility rate

1.96

Pop. growth

0.9%

Urban population

35.7%

Infant mortality /1k

23.3

🌍 Quality of Life

Internet users

70.0%

Literacy rate

78.2%

Physicians /1k

0.72

Renewable energy

34.9%

India's GDP over time (nominal, US$)

Travel & practical

Capital

New Delhi

Currency

INR

Dialing code

+91

Internet TLD

.in

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Fun facts about India

India is the world's largest democracy by number of eligible voters.
It is the birthplace of four major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
India's constitution recognises 22 official languages — there is no single national language.
India is the most populous country in the world, home to about 1.46 billion people.
By land area it is the 7th-largest country in the world, covering 3,287,590 km².
It has the world's 6th-largest economy by nominal GDP ($3.96T).
India shares land borders with 6 countries.