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Data For India
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Insights, charts and data to create shared knowledge and expand our understanding of India | https://www.dataforindia.com/
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🧵 Propelled by rising mobile phone and internet access, India is witnessing an exponential growth in digital payments.

Just two decades ago, more than 95% of the money spent every day on major retail payments was made using cheques.

#Payments #Banking #Finance #India #DataForIndia
Title: Debit cards are far more common than credit cards in India Sub-title: Debit and credit cards per 1,000 people, 2006–2024 Explanation: Debit cards rise from 59 per 1,000 in 2006 to 683 in 2024, peaking near 700 in 2018 with a dip around 2019; credit cards remain much lower but climb steadily to 74 per 1,000 by 2024. RBI reports roughly 100 million credit cards and nearly 1 billion debit cards in circulation. Source: Database on Indian Economy (RBI); UN World Population Prospects Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
November 18, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 One of the most important ways that countries interact with each other in the global economy is through trade. A combination of historical, economic and geo-political factors tend to drive these global trading patterns.

#Trade #Import #Export #Economy #India #DataForIndia
Title: Who are India’s top import and export partners for goods? Sub-title: India’s top trading partners in goods (2024) Explanation: The bars show the top five partners for goods trade on each side. For imports, China is highest at $102bn, followed by Russia ($61bn), UAE ($48bn), US ($42bn), and Saudi Arabia ($31bn). For exports, the US leads at $78bn, then UAE ($36bn), Netherlands ($22bn), China ($17bn), and Singapore ($14bn). Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
November 14, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 One of the most important measures of a country's nutritional and public health status is whether its children are adequately nourished. The most closely tracked indicator on child nutrition outcomes is stunting.

#PublicHealth #Child #Stunting #India #DataForIndia
Title: More than a third of children in India are stunted Sub-title: Share of stunted children under the age of five, by state (2021) Explanation: Highest prevalence in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand where roughly two in five children are stunted. Many central and eastern states show rates near or above 35–40%. Even in richer southern and western states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, about one in four children are stunted. Source: National Family Health Survey 5 (2019–21), IIPS Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
November 11, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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Under the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6.2, India has committed to eliminate open defecation and provide equitable access to sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030.

#Toilets #Sanitation #WASH #India #DataForIndia
Title: How many households in India use shared toilet facilities? Sub-title: Percentage of households that use shared toilets, by wealth group (2021) Explanation: In both rural and urban India, poorer households are more likely to use shared toilets. Rural shares range from 15% among the poorest to 5% among the richest. Urban shares range from 31% among the poorest to 1% among the richest, showing a much wider wealth gap in cities. Source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS‑5), 2019–21, IIPS Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
November 7, 2025 at 8:33 AM
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3 — A generational transformation of India's economy

Early on, we looked at this fundamental transformation of the Indian economy-from largely agrarian to predominantly service-driven, with a worrying stagnation in manufacturing.
November 6, 2025 at 6:13 AM
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2 — Enduring puzzles in India's health

In May this year, we explored India’s child stunting data, and how despite the fact that growth and development in a country or group reduce the levels of child stunting, they're not enough.
November 6, 2025 at 6:13 AM
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1 — A fundamental realignment of India's population

In the second edition, back in November 2024, we looked at this striking chart on the falling risk of childhood mortality in India
November 6, 2025 at 6:13 AM
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🧵 One year ago, Data For India launched “The Big Shift”, our subscriber-only newsletter which examines India's long-term transformation through the lens of data, written by our founder Rukmini S.
November 6, 2025 at 6:13 AM
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🧵 Higher education is seen as being key to getting young Indians into skilled and high paying jobs, and to accelerating economic growth.

#College #Undergraduate #Education #HigherEducation #India #DataForIndia
Title: Postgraduate enrolment is higher among female students over male in India Sub-title: Postgraduate enrolment by major disciplines, 2022 Explanation: Horizontal bar chart comparing female and male postgraduate enrolment across disciplines. Women outnumber men in most fields: Social Sciences, Science, Languages, Commerce, Education, Medical Science. Men outnumber women in Management and Engineering. Source: All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), Department of Higher Education Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
November 4, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 India is a relatively young country. Half of India's population is under the age of 30, making it a far younger country than its European, North American and East Asian counterparts.

#Population #Census #Age #India #DataForIndia
October 31, 2025 at 5:55 AM
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🧵 The most widely used indicator to understand how risky pregnancy and childbirth are in a region is the maternal mortality ratio (MMR). MMR is the number of maternal deaths, during pregnancy or within 42 days after, for every 100,000 live births.

#Mortality #Mother #Health #India #DataForIndia
Title: India has seen a sharp fall in the risk of death during pregnancy Sub-title: Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India and selected states, over time Explanation: Line chart from 1998–2023 comparing India, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. India’s MMR falls from about 398 to 88. Andhra Pradesh drops from 197 to 30. Odisha declines from 346 to a low near 120 around 2020, then rises to 153 by 2023. The gap between richer and poorer states narrows overall, with a small recent increase in Odisha. Source: SRS Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
October 28, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 Literacy - the ability to read and write a sentence in any language with proper comprehension - is the most fundamental measure of educational outcomes.

#Literacy #Education #LivingConditions #India #DataForIndia
Title: The literacy gap has narrowed between urban and rural India Sub-title: Literacy rate in India by region, 1951–2023 Explanation: Two-line chart shows literacy rising in both regions with the gap shrinking over time. Urban literacy increases from about 35% in 1951 to 89% in 2023. Rural literacy rises from about 12% to 77% by 2023. The steepest gains appear after the 1990s, and the 2023 endpoints are labeled on the lines (Urban 89%, Rural 77%). Source: Census of India 1951–2011; NSS Survey Rounds 71, 75, 78; PLFS 2022–23, NSO Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
October 24, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 India is in the midst of an epidemiological transition, a moment in public health when non-communicable diseases replace communicable diseases as the leading cause of mortality.

#Diseases #Health #PublicHealth #India #DataForIndia
Title: Which communicable diseases lead to the most deaths in India? Sub-title: Top 5 causes of death due to communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in India, over time Explanation: Respiratory infections became the leading cause of death among communicable conditions, spiking sharply around 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and reaching about 10% before easing to 9.3% in 2022. Other major causes declined over time: diarrhoeal diseases and perinatal conditions fell to near 2% by 2022, and tuberculosis dropped to about 2.5%. “Fever of unknown origin” remained around 5% in 2022. Source: Causes of Death reports, Sample Registration System (RGI) Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
October 21, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 Organised manufacturing in India accounts for the majority of economic value added through manufacturing, with over 200,000 factories creating nearly Rs 22 trillion in value added as of 2023.

#Manufacturing #Industry #Economy #India #DataForIndia
Title: Which states add the most value for India’s leading industries? Sub-title: Leading states in gross value added by industry, 2023 Explanation: Most industrial activity for basic metals takes place in Odisha and Jharkhand. The chemicals industry and the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products are both concentrated in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The manufacture of vehicles mainly takes place in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Haryana. Source: Annual Survey of Industries, 2022–23, MoSPI Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
October 17, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 The ownership of computers in India has had a slow growth. Over the last two decades, the share of households who own computers grew from 1% to just over 9%. In most developed countries, on the other hand, computer ownership is above 75%.

#Computer #Technology #Laptop #India #DataForIndia
Title: Fewer than one in ten households in India own a computer Sub-title: Share of households with a computer by country Explanation: Horizontal bar chart comparing household computer ownership rates. United Arab Emirates 99%. Singapore 89%. Japan 75%. Brazil 41%. Viet Nam 27%. South Africa 26%. Sri Lanka 24%. Indonesia 18%. Bangladesh 9%. India 9% highlighted. Among the 30 million households in India that own a computer, 90% have a laptop. Source: International Telecommunications Union DataHub; NSS Round 79, CAMS 2023, NSO Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
October 14, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 The rise of mobile phones powered access to the internet in India. Only 2% of homes in India had internet access in 2009, but the pace of internet access accelerated once mobile broadband entered the space.

#Mobile #Phone #Internet #India #DataForIndia
Title: Internet usage in India lags behind some emerging economies Sub-title: Share of people who use the internet by country, over time Explanation: Line chart from 1991–2023 comparing internet-use rates in Russia, Brazil, China, India and Bangladesh. India grows rapidly after 2010 but remains behind peers in 2023: Russia 92%, Brazil 84%, China 77%, India 58%, Bangladesh 45%. Source: World Development Indicators, 2023, World Bank; CAMS, Round 79, NSO Attribution: Data For India | CC BY
October 10, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 Road accidents are a leading cause of mortality in India. 29 out of every 1,000 deaths in India in 2022 were attributed to road accidents.

#Death #Accident #Roads #India #DataForIndia
Title: Which vehicles cause the most road accident deaths in India? Sub-title: Share of fatalities by impacting vehicle for two‑wheeler riders, pedestrians, and four‑wheeler occupants (2022) Explanation: Two‑wheelers are the leading impacting vehicle overall. Among two‑wheeler deaths, 37% involved another two‑wheeler; for pedestrians, impacts are split with 28% two‑wheelers and 33% other vehicles; for four‑wheeler occupants, other four‑wheelers dominate at 43% and trucks or lorries are nearly a quarter (24%). Source: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India Attribution: Data For India
October 7, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 Nearly 95% of Indian households have access to basic drinking water, a rate of progress that has surpassed the world's average. Tap or piped water is the single largest source of drinking water for urban Indians.

#Water #WASH #WashData #India #DataForIndia
Chart Title: Seven in ten households in urban India primarily drink tap water Description: Choropleth map of India showing, by state and UT, the share of urban households whose principal drinking water source is tap or piped water in 2023. Bihar has only about one in four households using tap water, Kerala relies mainly on household wells, and in Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh over a quarter of households primarily drink bottled water. Key Points: - Higher shares are visible across much of western, northern, and northeastern India; lower shares in Bihar and parts of the south. - Southern states Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have notable bottled water use, while Kerala relies more on household wells. Source: CAMS, NSS 79th Round, 2022–23, NSO Attribution: DataForIndia.com/access-to-drinking-water/ | CC BY
October 3, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 India has made remarkable progress in reducing deaths caused by malaria over the past two decades. In 2005, malaria was responsible for an estimated 209,000 deaths nationwide, but by 2022, this figure was down to around 9,400 deaths.

#Malaria #Health #Disease #India #DataForIndia
Chart Title: Malaria-related deaths among children in India have declined significantly Description: Line chart showing the share of all deaths due to malaria over time by age group in India from 2005 to 2022. Two series are plotted: children aged 5–14 years and the overall population (all ages). Both series decline steeply, with the larger drop for ages 5–14. Key Points: - In 2005, 5–14 year olds had about 8.6% of deaths due to malaria, falling to 0.5% by 2022. - For all ages, the share declined from about 2.5% in 2005 to 0.1% in 2022. - Annotation highlights that deaths among children 5–14 fell from roughly 1 in 10 in 2005 to 1 in 200 by 2022. Source: Cause of Death Survey, Sample Registration System (SRS) Attribution: DataForIndia.com/malaria-in-india/ | CC BY
September 30, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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Over time, the Indian economy has steadily moved away from its dependence on agriculture. The majority of the value added to the Indian economy now comes from the services sector.

#Agriculture #Services #Industry #Economy #India #DataForIndia
Chart Title: Services contribute over half of India’s economic value added Description: Choropleth map of India showing each state and union territory shaded by the share of services in the state’s Gross State Value Added for 2021–22. The map includes annotation notes pointing out Gujarat and Punjab as outliers among richer states, and that in richer southern states the services sector exceeds 60% of GSDP. Key Points: - Services account for more than half of GSDP in 15 states and UTs; in states like Kerala, Telangana, and Karnataka, services exceed 60%. - Gujarat stands out among richer states for a manufacturing‑led economy, while Punjab is notable for a larger agriculture share. Source: State economy statistics, accessed at the DBIE, RBI Attribution: DataForIndia.com/state‑economies/ | CC BY
September 26, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 One of the most effective ways to understand how Indians live is by looking at how much money they spend in a month, and on which commodities.

#ConsumptionExpenditure #HouseholdSpending #LivingStandards #India #DataForIndia
Chart Title: How does the average Indian household use their food budget? Description: A stacked bar chart shows the share of household spending on food by category in multiple years from 1988 to 2023. Categories are cereals and pulses, fruits nuts and vegetables, dairy products, eggs fish and meat, salt sugar oil and spices, and packaged food. Each year’s bar sums to 100 percent, revealing long-run shifts in the food basket. Key Points: - Spending on cereals and pulses declines steeply from 43% in 1988 to 14% in 2023. - Packaged food rises the most, from 8% in 1988 to 23% in 2023. - Fruits, nuts and vegetables increase from 12% to 20% over the period. - Dairy grows from 14% to 18%; eggs, fish and meat from 5% to 10%. Source: NSS Rounds 38 to 79, HCES, NSO Attribution: DataForIndia.com/consumption-expenditure/ | CC BY
September 23, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 There has been a significant expansion in access to electricity for Indian households over the last three decades.

#Electricity #Power #Lighting #India #DataForIndia
Chart Title: Poorer and richer states in India have converged on electrification Description: Line chart showing the share of households with access to electricity by state from 1993 to 2021 for Kerala, Assam, and Bihar. All three states improve markedly over time, with poorer states catching up to richer ones. Key Points: - Kerala increases from 60% in 1993 to 100% in 2021. - Assam increases from 20% in 1993 to 93% in 2021. - Bihar increases from 17% in 1993 to 96% in 2021, the largest catch‑up indicating convergence. Source: National Family Health Survey (various years), IIPS; Attribution: DataForIndia.com/access-to-electricity/ | CC BY
September 19, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 With approximately 625 million workers, India represents the world's second-largest labour market. Of these, 600 million are currently employed, with the rest seeking work.

#Work #Employment #Job #India #DataForIndia
Chart Title: India’s female labour force participation is one of the lowest in the world Description: Horizontal dot-and-line chart comparing female (yellow) and male (purple) labour force participation rates across eight countries in 2023. Showing the gender gap. Countries included: India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, United States, China, and Viet Nam. Key Points: - India shows one of the widest gaps: female 33% vs male 77%, the lowest female rate among countries shown. - Several middle‑income peers have substantially higher female participation, e.g., Bangladesh 37% vs 80% and Indonesia 53% vs 82%. - The highest female rates in the chart are in Viet Nam (68%) and China (61%), with smaller gender gaps than India. Source: World Development Indicators, World Bank Attribution: DataForIndia.com/work‑employment‑in‑india/ | CC BY
September 16, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 India's roads host nearly 260 million two-wheelers and 50 million cars. This translates to 185 two-wheelers and 34 cars per 1,000 people.

#TwoWheeler #Car #Vehicle #India #DataForIndia
Chart Title: More than half of Indian households own a two-wheeler, but fewer than one in ten own a car Description: Two side-by-side choropleth maps of India show state-level ownership rates in 2023. The first map, depicts household two-wheeler ownership, which is widespread and highest in richer western and southern states. The second map outlines states for car ownership, which remains low across most of the country, with higher shares concentrated in a few richer states. Key Points: - Two-wheeler ownership exceeds 50% nationally and surpasses 70% in richer states such as Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. - Two-wheeler ownership is lower in many eastern states, which are relatively poorer. - Car ownership is below 10% nationally for most states, with the highest shares in richer states like Goa and Kerala and similarly low levels in central and eastern India. Source: NSS Round 79, HCES (2022–23), NSO Attribution: DataForIndia.com/vehicle-ownership/ | CC BY Chart Title: More than half of Indian households own a two-wheeler, but fewer than one in ten own a car Description: Two side-by-side choropleth maps of India show state-level ownership rates in 2023. The first map, depicts household two-wheeler ownership, which is widespread and highest in richer western and southern states. The second map outlines states for car ownership, which remains low across most of the country, with higher shares concentrated in a few richer states. Key Points: - Two-wheeler ownership exceeds 50% nationally and surpasses 70% in richer states such as Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. - Two-wheeler ownership is lower in many eastern states, which are relatively poorer. - Car ownership is below 10% nationally for most states, with the highest shares in richer states like Goa and Kerala and similarly low levels in central and eastern India. Source: NSS Round 79, HCES (2022–23), NSO Attribution: DataForIndia.com/vehicle-ownership/ | CC BY
September 12, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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🧵 One of the most remarkable stories of change in India has been the successful effort to bring most children into schools.

#Enrolment #Education #HigherEducation #India #DataForIndia
Chart Title: Enrolment in education has risen across all levels in India Description: A line chart showing India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) from 1971 to 2022 for three levels: Primary (blue), Secondary (purple), and Tertiary (yellow). Primary rises from about 77% to 108% by 2022, with a note that GER above 100% reflects underage and overage enrolment. Secondary climbs steadily from about 24% to 79%. Tertiary increases from about 5% to 32%. Source: World Development Indicators, World Bank Attribution: DataForIndia.com/enrolment-in-education/ | CC BY
September 9, 2025 at 3:30 AM