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Geography · Asia

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Republic of India · Southern Asia

Quick answerIndia is a country in Southern Asia, with a population of 1,464,000,000 (2025). Its capital is New Delhi, its official language is Hindi and English, and its currency is the Indian rupee (INR). It covers 3,287,263 square kilometres (1,269,219 square miles), and its time zone is Asia/Kolkata.

India is the world's most populous country, home to about 1.46 billion people in 2025. Its capital is New Delhi, its official languages are Hindi and English, and its currency is the rupee.

Key facts

CapitalNew Delhi
Population1,464,000,000 (2025) · 1464.0 million
Population density492.4 people per km² (land area)
Area3,287,263 km² (1,269,219 sq mi) total · 2,973,190 km² (1,147,955 sq mi) land
Official languagesHindi (official), English (official)
CurrencyIndian rupee (INR, ₹)
Time zoneAsia/Kolkata
GovernmentFederal parliamentary republic
Coastline7,517 km
Highest pointKangchenjunga, 8,586 m
Life expectancy72 years (2023)
Calling code+91
Driving sideLeft
Internet domain.in

Overview

India is a country in South Asia and the world's most populous, with about 1.464 billion people in 2025. It is the seventh-largest country by area, covering 3,287,263 square kilometres between the Himalayas in the north and the Indian Ocean in the south. India shares land borders with six countries — Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar — and its coastline runs for 7,517 kilometres along the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. In the far north stands Kangchenjunga, at 8,586 metres the country's highest point and the third-highest mountain in the world. The great rivers of the north, the Indus and the Ganges, water some of the most densely farmed plains on Earth, while the Deccan Plateau fills the south.

India's population has grown from 361 million in 1951 to about 1.464 billion in 2025, passing China as the world's most populous country in the early 2020s. It is a young country by world standards: the median age was about 29.8 years in 2024. Life expectancy at birth has risen from 49.7 years in 1970–75 to 72.0 years in 2023. Most Indians still live in towns and villages, but the cities are huge: the Delhi urban area had about 16.3 million people in 2011, and Mumbai's metropolitan region had more than 20 million. Hindi and English are the Union's official languages, and the Constitution recognises 22 scheduled languages.

India is a federal parliamentary republic. It became independent from Britain in 1947 and adopted its constitution in 1950. Its economy, worth about $3.9 trillion in 2024, was the world's fifth-largest that year, built on services, information technology, manufacturing and agriculture. India is a nuclear-weapon state and a founding member of the United Nations, and its cultural legacy includes 45 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, from the Taj Mahal to the temples of the south. Indian food, film, music and cricket are followed around the world.

Notable facts

How India compares

Comparison table — India next to 3 similar countries (neighbours first, then the same subregion).

CountryPopulationAreaDensityCapital
India ★ 1,464,000,000 (2025) 3,287,263 km² 492.4 people per km² New Delhi
Australia 27,801,023 (2025) 7,692,024 km² 3.6 people per km² Canberra
Brazil 213,421,037 (2025) 8,515,767 km² 25.2 people per km² Brasília
Canada 41,798,407 (2026) 9,984,670 km² 4.6 people per km² Ottawa

Cities in India

See all 4 cities in India →

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital of India?

The capital of India is New Delhi. It is the seat of all three branches of government: the President, Parliament and the Supreme Court. New Delhi is a small municipality of about 250,000 people (2011) inside the Delhi megacity, whose urban area had about 16.3 million people in 2011.

What is the population of India?

India had a population of about 1.464 billion in 2025, making it the most populous country in the world. The population has grown from 361 million in 1951, when the first post-independence census was taken. India passed China as the world's most populous country in the early 2020s.

What language is spoken in India?

Hindi and English are the official languages of India's Union government, and English is used widely in law, business and higher education. The Constitution also recognises 22 scheduled languages, including Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi, and hundreds of other languages are spoken across the country.

What currency is used in India?

India uses the rupee (INR, symbol ₹). It is divided into 100 paise. Cash is still common, but digital payments have grown fast: the UPI system now handles billions of transactions a month, and cards and phone payments work in most towns and cities.

Where is India?

India is in South Asia, between the Himalayas in the north and the Indian Ocean in the south. It shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The Arabian Sea lies to the south-west and the Bay of Bengal to the south-east.

What time zone is India in?

India uses Indian Standard Time (IST, UTC+5:30) across the whole country, and does not observe daylight saving. The IANA time zone name is Asia/Kolkata. India is five and a half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, so noon in London is 5:30 p.m. the same day in New Delhi.

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3. What currency is used in India?

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Sources & last updated

Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.