📜 A long story
India, 1800 → today
India grew from 201 million in 1800 to 1.44 billion; a newborn can expect 46.6 more years of life than in 1881, and output per person is 7.5× its 1801 level, adjusted for inflation.
Told with long-run reconstructions, not the yearly series used elsewhere on the site: each chapter names its source. Scroll to move through the years.
☺ Chapter 1 · Population
How many people live there?
1800
In 1800, about 201 million people lived in India.
1900
281 million people.
1.4× the 1800 level
1950
346 million people.
1.2× the 1900 level
2023
1.44 billion people, the latest year in this series.
4.2× the 1950 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1957.
Reached 5 times the 1800 level in 1998.
Long-run series: before 1950, reconstructions by HYDE and Gapminder, filled in between benchmark years by those sources. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
✚ Chapter 2 · Life expectancy
How long do people live?
1881
In 1881, a newborn in India could expect to live 25.4 years, on average.
1901
23.5 years.
−1.9 years since 1881
1950
41.2 years.
+18 years since 1901
Passed 40 years in 1950 (no data between 1941 and 1950, so it may have happened earlier).
2023
72 years, the latest year in this series.
+31 years since 1950
Passed 50 years in 1974.
Passed 60 years in 1994.
Passed 70 years in 2017.
Long-run series: before 1950, historical estimates (Riley, Clio Infra, Human Mortality Database), only for years they cover. Dashed stretches are years without data.
◎ Chapter 3 · GDP per person (PPP)
How much is produced per person?
1801
In 1801, India produced about Int$1,030 per person, in 2011 prices.
1900
Int$955.
about the same as in 1801
1950
Int$987.
about the same as in 1900
The sharpest fall in the data: down 14% between 1914 and 1918 (Int$1,130 → Int$968).
2022
Int$7,770, the latest year in this series.
7.9× the 1950 level
Reached twice the 1801 level in 1990.
Reached 5 times the 1801 level in 2013.
Long-run series (Maddison Project) in 2011 international dollars: adjusted for inflation, so not the same unit as today’s PPP figure. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates. Dashed stretches are years without data.
❦ Chapter 4 · CO₂ per person
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
1858
In 1858, fossil fuels and industry in India emitted about 0.0016 t of CO₂ per person.
1900
0.043 t.
26× the 1858 level
Reached twice the 1858 level in 1878 (no data between 1866 and 1878, so it may have happened earlier).
Reached 5 times the 1858 level in 1882.
Reached 10 times the 1858 level in 1891.
Reached 20 times the 1858 level in 1898.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 23% between 1860 and 1861 (0.0026 t → 0.002 t).
1950
0.2 t.
4.1× the 1900 level
Reached 50 times the 1858 level in 1908.
2024
2.2 t, the latest year in this series.
13× the 1950 level
Long-run series: fossil CO₂ emitted within each country’s borders (Global Carbon Budget); early estimates are less certain. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates. Dashed stretches are years without data.
☕ Chapter 5 · Years of schooling
How long do people go to school?
1870
In 1870, people aged 15–64 in India had spent 0.03 years in school, on average.
1900
0.2 years.
+0.13 years since 1870
1950
1 years.
+0.86 years since 1900
2015
7.3 years, the latest year in this series.
+6.3 years since 1950
Passed 2 years in 1975.
Passed 4 years in 1995.
Passed 6 years in 2010.
Long-run series (Lee & Lee, Barro & Lee) for people aged 15–64, every 5 years until 2015: a different age group than today’s figure (25 and older).