One in every 6 babies born in the world today is born in India. India has about 23,000,000 births a year, around 17.4% of all births worldwide.

Births per year
23,000,000
Share of world births
17.4%
Birth odds
1/6
Life expectancy
72 years
Risk of dying before age 5
3.0%
Income per person, PPP
US$9,000
Children per woman
2.0
Urban population
36%

Life expectancy in India is 72 years, which is 1 years shorter than the world average.

Of every 1,000 babies born here, about 30 do not reach their fifth birthday. The world average is 37 per 1,000.

Income per person is about US$9,000 in purchasing power. That is only 39% of the world average.

On average a woman has 2.0 children in her lifetime. The world average is 2.3.

About 36% of the population lives in cities. A baby born here has roughly a 64% chance of being born in the countryside.

Born in India: the world's busiest maternity ward

Life expectancy in India was in the 40s in the 1960s and is 72 today. The main reasons for the jump are the eradication of smallpox, vaccination programmes, a smaller risk of famine after the Green Revolution and better care at birth. The number of children per woman was close to six in the 1960s and is now 2.0, just under the replacement level. Even so, the population is so large that the country still accounts for roughly one in six of the world's babies each year.

The differences inside the country are huge. Fertility has already fallen in southern states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu, but it is still higher in northern states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Being born in the countryside is a riskier start than being born in a city. A mother's literacy, household income and investment in girls are among the main factors shaping a baby's early chances. Infant deaths are falling fast in many states, but in poor rural areas malnutrition still stunts children's growth.

Religious makeup

  • Hinduism79%
  • Islam15%
  • Christianity2%
  • Other beliefs4%

Sample names given to people born in this country in the game

Aarav · Rohan · Arjun · Imran · Priya · Ananya · Saanvi · Ayesha

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Values are rounded approximations. Sources: UN World Population Prospects 2024, World Bank WDI, Pew Research Center 2020.