India

India is a country in South Asia, founded as an independent nation on 15 August 1947 after years of nonviolent resistance to British rule led by Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Its capital is New Delhi, and its population reached 1,326,093,247 according to Wikidata, though the 2025 CIA World Factbook edition puts the figure at 1,419,316,933, split between 730,902,574 males and 688,414,359 females. The country spans 3,287,263 square kilometers, making it the dominant landmass of the Indian subcontinent. India operates as a federal parliamentary republic under head of state Droupadi Murmu, with Hindi and English as official languages and the Indian rupee as currency. Its nominal GDP stood at $4.06 trillion in 2026, the sixth-largest economy in the world.

Key facts

  • Capital: New Delhi
  • Continent: Asia
  • Population: 1,326,093,247
  • Area: 3,287,263 km²
  • Official language: Hindi; English
  • Currency: Indian rupee
  • Head of state: Droupadi Murmu
  • ISO code: IN
  • Founded: 15 August 1947

Early history and independence

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world’s oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into what is now northwestern India. Centuries later the Mughal empire left its own imprint: Fatehpur Sikri, a fortified city 40 kilometers west of Agra, served as the Mughal capital for ten years, from 1572 to 1585, under Emperor Akbar. Earlier still, the Chandela dynasty built the Khajuraho Temples between 950 and 1050 CE, known for their intricate sculptures of medieval life, while the Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha, completed in 1250 CE, was shaped like a colossal chariot dedicated to the sun god Surya.

By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent, and India was regarded as the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire. Years of nonviolent resistance under Gandhi and Nehru led to independence in 1947. A third war between India and Pakistan in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh.

Government, law and economy

India’s government is a federal parliamentary republic, and its legal system is based on English common law, with limited judicial review of legislative acts. India accepts compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction with reservations.

India has a market-oriented economy with substantial state participation in strategic sectors; privatization of government-owned industries remains stalled and continues to generate political debate. Its nominal GDP reached $4.06 trillion in 2026 according to the IMF, with a growth rate of 7.0% that year.

People, languages and religion

Major languages spoken in India include Hindi at 43.6%, Bengali at 8%, Marathi at 6.9%, Telugu at 6.7%, Tamil at 5.7%, Gujarati at 4.6%, Urdu at 4.2%, Kannada at 3.6%, Odia at 3.1%, Malayalam at 2.9%, and Punjabi.

India is a secular country. Roughly 80 percent of the population follows Hindu traditions, about 13 percent practices Islam, about 3 percent Christianity, and about 2 percent Sikhism.

Heritage sites

As of 2026, India has 45 properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List: 37 cultural sites, 7 natural sites, and 1 mixed site. A civil court in Agra dismissed a lawsuit claiming the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple whose ownership should be transferred to the community.

Bid for a UN Security Council seat

On 13 July 2026, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar formally launched India’s candidature for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat for the 2028-29 term at UN headquarters in New York. A win would mark India’s ninth term as a non-permanent member, a record among Asian states exceeded only by Japan; its eight prior terms add up to just 16 years of non-permanent membership across more than seven decades since independence.

India campaigns alongside Brazil, Germany and Japan in the G4 group, under which the four support each other’s bids for permanent Council seats. In April 2026, India endorsed the African Group’s plan for Council reform, which calls for an expanded body of 26 members with new permanent and elected seats. The United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia have all backed India’s bid for a permanent seat, and in September 2026 the four Visegrad Group countries did the same at their first foreign ministers’ meeting with India on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. China, the only Asian P5 member, has stopped short of endorsing the bid, saying only that it understands India’s aspirations.

Did you know

  • Fatehpur Sikri, a fortified city 40 kilometers west of Agra, served as the Mughal capital for ten years from 1572 to 1585 under Emperor Akbar. (jpost.com)
  • The Khajuraho Temples, known for intricate sculptures of medieval life, were built by the Chandela dynasty between 950 and 1050 CE. (jpost.com)
  • The Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha, built in 1250 CE, is shaped like a colossal chariot dedicated to Surya, the sun god. (jpost.com)
  • A civil court in Agra dismissed a lawsuit claiming the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple whose ownership should be transferred to the community. (gulfnews.com)
  • At the April 2026 Intergovernmental Negotiations, India’s permanent representative Parvathaneni Harish said expanding the permanent category with veto is critical to real reform of the Security Council. (indiasworld.in)
  • India’s eight prior terms on the UN Security Council amount to just 16 years of non-permanent membership across more than seven decades since independence. (indiasworld.in)

Data sources

Where it appears

Data updated: 2026-11-08