How many people live in India?
India's total population, shown annually from 1960 onward.
Source: World Bank Indicators API · indicator SP.POP.TOTL Fetched 3/6/2026
At a glance
1.45 bn
latest value, 2024
0.44 bn
first value, 1960
65
annual observations in this artifact
annual
source frequency
The explanation Draft prose wraps locked source numbers; no numbers are generated at request time
India is home to about one in every six people on Earth, which makes every national average unusually consequential.
India's population is not just a large number. It changes how every other number should be read.
This series tracks total resident population. Population size affects every denominator in Indian statistics, from GDP per capita to hospital beds, classrooms, jobs, and electricity demand.
In India, scale is the story. A small percentage can mean millions of people; a national average can hide entire state-sized realities.
Keep pulling the thread
Is India's population growth slowing? -> How fast is India's fertility falling? -> What share of Indians are children? ->Methodology
MeasurePopulation, total
GeographyIndia
Unitpeople
TransformDisplay converts people to billions; stored values remain raw people counts.
CaveatPopulation estimates are revised and are not a substitute for detailed Census tables.