Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
India fits inside Russia 5.2 times
India: 3,287,260 km² (2024) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 5.4 times as long as India’s
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 2,944 m above Russia’s
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of India, versus 13% of Russia
India: 59.9% (2024) · Russia: 13.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 10 times as many people as Russia
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 56 times as densely populated as Russia
India: 492 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Russia are 10.2 cm taller than in India
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Russia are 9.3 cm taller than in India
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Russia is 11 years older than in India
India: 28.1 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 0.5 more children on average than in Russia
India: 1.96 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Russia are 65 or older, versus 7.4% in India
India: 7.4% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
India hosts 2 times as many refugees per resident as Russia
India: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Russia has produced 2.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, India 0.1
India: 0.1 (2026) · Russia: 2 (2026)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, Russia 1
India: 3 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 54% larger than Russia’s
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Russia produces 4.2 times as much per person as India
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Russia than in India (Gini 10 points higher)
India: 23 (2023) · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.6% of people in India live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Russia
India: 2.6% (2023) · Russia: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in India, versus 2.1% in Russia
India: 4.2% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, India 2.3%
India: 2.3% (2025) · Russia: 7.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Russia’s central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, India’s 6.9%
India: 6.9% (2022) · Russia: 10.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Russia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× India’s
India: 23% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Russia spends 12 times as much on health per person as India
India: $85 (2023) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Russia live 1.2 years longer than in India
India: 72.2 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 5.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Russia
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 7.1 times as many doctors per person as India
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Russia has 4.3 times as many hospital beds per person as India
India: 1.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 29% higher than in India
India: 15.3 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Russia are obese, versus 8.0% in India
India: 8% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 23% in India
India: 22.6% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Russia rate their lives 1.30 points higher than in India
India: 4.54 (2025) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 2 times as much alcohol as in India
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 10 times as much meat per person as India
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Russia has 860 kcal more food per person per day than India
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 296 more hours a year than in Russia
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Russia went to school 5.5 years longer than in India
India: 6.9 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
India: 0.01 (2024) · Russia: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
India has 12 more World Heritage sites than Russia (45 against 33)
India: 45 (2026) · Russia: 33 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Russia has won 539 Olympic medals, India 41
India: 41 (2026 edition) · Russia: 539 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Russia are online, versus 70% in India
India: 70% (2025) · Russia: 94% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
India: 91 Mbps (2026) · Russia: no data
Who has electricity at home?
Russia and India are practically level
India: 99.9% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
75% of people in Russia live in cities, versus 36% in India
India: 36% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79
India: 79 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 26% longer than India’s
India: 68,103 km (2021) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Russia fly 5.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from India
India: 0.12 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 24% of India
India: 24.4% (2024) · Russia: 50.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 5.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in India
India: 2.2 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of India’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia
India: 24.1% (2025) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 3.4 times as much fine dust as in Russia
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.8 times as likely to be murdered in Russia as in India
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 90% deadlier than in Russia
India: 25.4 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 27.0 °C warmer than Russia
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 2.2 times as much rain as Russia
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is India bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. India fits inside Russia 5.2 times.
Which has more people, India or Russia?
India has 10 times as many people as Russia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or Russia?
People in Russia live 1.2 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in India or Russia?
Men in Russia are 10.2 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
