https://thisindianlife.today/ India's most important numbers, dragged out of stubborn PDFs and tired government portals and written up in plain language — every page static, sourced, and tied back to where the numbers began. en-in Sat, 01 Aug 2026 11:01:39 GMT https://thisindianlife.today/articles/el-nino-arrives-after-the-harvest/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/el-nino-arrives-after-the-harvest/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 11:01:39 GMT Climate It is forecast to peak around October, after India's summer crop is already harvested. The rains it could still spoil are the ones falling now. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-money-did-indians-send-abroad/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-money-did-indians-send-abroad/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 05:30:53 GMT Economy Travel dominates RBI's purpose table, but it is broader than holidays. Family support, education and investment make this a more complicated ledger. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-indian-states-have-different-birth-rates/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-indian-states-have-different-birth-rates/ Sat, 11 Jul 2026 04:33:43 GMT People India's fertility fell on a thirty-year lag between states, with female education a stronger predictor than income, and the gap is now a question of political representation. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/foreign-investment/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/foreign-investment/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:03:18 GMT Economy India’s net FDI dropped from $43 billion in FY20 to under $1 billion in FY25, but gross inflows surged to an all-time high of $81 billion. The gap is repatriation and Indian firms investing abroad. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/when-does-india-actually-turn-the-power-on/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/when-does-india-actually-turn-the-power-on/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:03:18 GMT Energy Solar pushes down midday net demand by about 22%, but after sunset the real peak hits around 7pm, driving a 40 GW ramp in six hours. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-india-imports-so-much-edible-oil/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-india-imports-so-much-edible-oil/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:03:18 GMT Society The dependency is not explained by one big number. Imports dwarf exports, three oils dominate the basket, domestic output is seed not oil, and the current sowing pickup still leaves the structural gap intact. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-the-2026-monsoon-in-trouble/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-the-2026-monsoon-in-trouble/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:03:18 GMT Climate IMD's June forecast gives a 60% chance of a deficient monsoon, driven by El Niño. But history shows El Niño loads the dice, not the outcome. The season is young. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/india-industrial-policy-surge/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/india-industrial-policy-surge/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:03:18 GMT Economy India nearly doubled protective industrial policy measures after COVID. The World Bank’s new report shows the tariffs are cutting imports, but the bill falls on households, and the promised manufacturing jobs remain elusive. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/has-india-ended-poverty/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/has-india-ended-poverty/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:03:18 GMT Economy At $3 a day, about ₹58/day in 2021 PPP rupees, India's poverty rate is down to 5.3%. At $4.20, about ₹82/day, it is still 23.9%. The line you choose changes the answer. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/young-states-old-states/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/young-states-old-states/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:03:18 GMT Society While Kerala and Tamil Nadu brace for the costs of ageing, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh still have young populations but far less money to prepare. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-the-rupee-falls/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-the-rupee-falls/ Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:42:16 GMT Economy It has moved from about ₹3.3 per dollar in 1947 to about ₹95 in mid-2026. But after adjusting for trade partners and inflation, the broad real rupee is only modestly below its 1994 level. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-air-quality-data-can-india-see/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-air-quality-data-can-india-see/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:29:52 GMT Climate India's AQI is useful, but the public history underneath it is thinner than the dashboard feels. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/india-jobs-challenge/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/india-jobs-challenge/ Sat, 27 Jun 2026 13:01:50 GMT Society Projections show about 238 million young Indians will reach working age by 2035, more than any other developing economy. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/indias-off-switch/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/indias-off-switch/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:17:08 GMT Society About 922 shutdowns since 2012, half in J&K, mostly preventive. Research shows shutdowns correlate with more violence, not less. The cost runs into billions. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/dementia-in-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/dementia-in-india/ Sat, 20 Jun 2026 06:13:07 GMT Health And the true cost is hidden: two-thirds of it is unpaid family care, mostly by women, while even the medical bills come out of household pockets. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-india-consumes-news/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-india-consumes-news/ Sat, 20 Jun 2026 01:49:44 GMT Society The famous trust figure of 39% comes from a survey of online, English-speaking Indians. The India that reads Hindi papers, forwards videos and has never answered an English online poll looks rather different. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-india-getting-healthier/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-india-getting-healthier/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 07:54:01 GMT Health Life expectancy climbed, child deaths fell, and more doctors are registered. But wasting persists, chronic diseases overtook infections, and out-of-pocket spending remains a heavy burden. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/indias-thirty-electricity-transitions/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/indias-thirty-electricity-transitions/ Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:53:22 GMT Energy The national average hides about thirty different state paths, from near-zero-carbon to almost pure coal https://thisindianlife.today/articles/india-vehicle-registrations-two-wheeler-boom/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/india-vehicle-registrations-two-wheeler-boom/ Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:07:28 GMT Economy VAHAN registrations show India motorised at astonishing scale after 2003. But registrations are not sales, and the road filled mostly with two-wheelers while diesel faded, EVs arrived and income explained only part of the ride. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-india-spends-on-research/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-india-spends-on-research/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:22:55 GMT Economy No, it's far below global leaders and its own 2% target. Yet India ranks third in research papers and sixth in patents. Here's how that paradox holds together. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/india-and-gold/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/india-and-gold/ Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:02:57 GMT Economy Behind the glitter: why Indian households hoard 30 times the RBI’s gold, and how duty swings and global prices shape a billion-dollar habit. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-india-stayed-poor-while-asia-got-rich/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-india-stayed-poor-while-asia-got-rich/ Sat, 06 Jun 2026 12:35:11 GMT Economy Around 1950, India was no poorer than China or Korea, but by 2022 it was far behind because it underinvested in human capital, manufacturing, and exports while its neighbours systematically built each rung of the growth ladder. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-el-nino-does-to-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-el-nino-does-to-india/ Sat, 06 Jun 2026 11:23:45 GMT Climate It roughly doubles the odds of a weak monsoon, yet many El Nino years still finished wet. The Indian Ocean, irrigation and food stocks all soften the blow. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/population-of-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/population-of-india/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:24:18 GMT People Fertility is below replacement, and in a few decades the population will peak and start to decline. Here’s the full picture, from birth to old age. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/who-works-in-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/who-works-in-india/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:24:18 GMT Society Sex, caste, faith, marriage, schooling, and birthplace, not just the economy, decide whether you work, what you do, and what you earn. The headline jobless rate of 3.2% masks a labour market where most work is insecure and poorly paid. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-unequal-is-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-unequal-is-india/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:24:18 GMT Economy The same Indian top 1% takes 4.3% or 22.3% of income, depending on the lens. Consumption Gini is 25.5, income concentration is among the world’s highest, and wealth inequality is extreme. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/who-actually-pays-income-tax-in-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/who-actually-pays-income-tax-in-india/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:24:18 GMT Economy The zero-tax majority is not evasion but a deliberate policy choice that keeps lifting the nil-tax ceiling. The burden rests on a tiny apex. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-does-everything-keep-getting-more-expensive/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-does-everything-keep-getting-more-expensive/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Economy Inflation is normal, permanent, and uneven. This page uses 30 charts to explain what is happening to your money, why, and what you can actually do about it. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-work/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-work/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Society India's labour force is young and massive but mostly self-employed, informal, and stuck on farms. A low unemployment rate hides a crisis for educated youth, while women remain largely left out. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-borrow/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-borrow/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Economy RBI/IDH gives the granular bank-credit map. BIS and IMF add the wider household-debt and credit-system context without replacing the Indian loan-product data. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-powers-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-powers-india/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Energy A deep dive into India's energy system: electricity generation, fuel imports, and the slow shift to clean power. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/are-indias-big-cities-getting-hotter/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/are-indias-big-cities-getting-hotter/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Climate Across 38 cities, 36 are warmer than the 1940s. But feels-like heat is rising faster than the thermometer, exposing Delhi and Amritsar, which look flat on dry temperature alone. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/are-indias-heat-deaths-being-counted/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/are-indias-heat-deaths-being-counted/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Climate Official heat deaths are narrow labels. CRS and MCCD show why: in 2023, 97.2% of deaths were registered, but only 22.0% had medically certified causes. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-is-climate-change-changing-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-is-climate-change-changing-india/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Climate Hotter nights, stickier heat, sharper rain and unequal cooling are already changing daily life. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-connected-is-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-connected-is-india/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Society Internet use reached 70% in 2025. Cheap mobile data, UPI, and wireless networks changed daily life, but gender and rural gaps remain. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-trade-with-the-world/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-trade-with-the-world/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Economy From $1.3 bn in 1948 to $445 bn in exports by 2025, India's trade has multiplied. But a persistent goods deficit of $308 bn is offset by services and remittances. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/who-does-india-trade-with/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/who-does-india-trade-with/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Economy India's exports reached $291 bn in manufactures in 2024, but a yawning deficit with China and a surge in fuel imports shape the story. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-india-a-services-superpower/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-india-a-services-superpower/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Economy Services earned $415 billion in 2025, just shy of $445 billion from goods, and India's share of world services exports is 4.4% – more than double its goods share. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-competitive-is-indias-trade-with-the-world/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-competitive-is-indias-trade-with-the-world/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:14 GMT Economy Despite $445 billion in merchandise exports, India's share of world exports is just 1.7%, lower than in 1948. Tariffs remain high, and export complexity lags Asian peers. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-many-people-live-in-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-many-people-live-in-india/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT People India’s population tripled since 1960, but annual growth has fallen to 0.9% as fertility dips below two births per woman. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-indias-population-still-growing/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-indias-population-still-growing/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT People India's population has reached 145.1 crore, growing at 0.9% a year. Yet fertility has fallen below replacement level. This explains why growth continues despite fewer children per woman. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-old-is-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-old-is-india/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT People In 2000, half the country was under 21. By 2100, that midpoint is projected to hit 47.8 years, signalling a historic transformation. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-does-indias-population-pyramid-look-like/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-does-indias-population-pyramid-look-like/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT People Child share down from 35.6% in 2000 to 22.4% by 2030; median age to nearly double by 2100. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-india-getting-old-before-it-gets-rich/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-india-getting-old-before-it-gets-rich/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT People The share of elderly has crossed 7% while income per person is still just $2,695 a year, far below the wealth that rich nations had when they aged. The engine: fertility already below replacement. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-big-is-indias-economy/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-big-is-indias-economy/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Economy India produces about ₹357 lakh crore worth of goods and services, making it the 5th largest economy. Divide that output across 1.4 billion people and the average is only about ₹2.5 lakh a year. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-fast-is-indias-economy-growing/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-fast-is-indias-economy-growing/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Economy Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded at a real rate of 6.5% in 2024, according to the World Bank. This is a measure of economic output after adjusting for inflation. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-rich-is-the-average-indian/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-rich-is-the-average-indian/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Economy GDP per capita is a rough measure of average economic output, but it hides huge inequalities. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-compare-with-china-the-us-and-the-world/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-compare-with-china-the-us-and-the-world/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Economy Compared with China, the US, and the world, India looks different across GDP, population, health, electricity, internet, cities, and women's work. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-long-do-indians-live/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-long-do-indians-live/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Health Life expectancy at birth has nearly doubled since 1960, but healthy years lag behind. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-healthy-are-those-extra-years/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-healthy-are-those-extra-years/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Health WHO estimates healthy life expectancy in India at 58.1 years in 2021, down from 60.9 in 2019. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-many-indian-children-die-before-age-five/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-many-indian-children-die-before-age-five/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Health That is the latest rate for India. It has fallen sharply from 241.3 in 1960. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-kills-indians/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-kills-indians/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Health Non-communicable diseases have overtaken infections as the top killers. Cardiovascular disease, cancers, and respiratory illnesses lead, but injuries and suicide hit working-age Indians hardest. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-literate-is-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-literate-is-india/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Society World Bank data shows a steady increase, but the rate is still below universal literacy. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-many-years-of-schooling-do-indians-get/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-many-years-of-schooling-do-indians-get/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Society From under 6 years in 1971 to over 11 years in 2019, school life expectancy has nearly doubled. Secondary enrollment also rose from 24% to 80%. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-many-indians-are-in-the-workforce/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-many-indians-are-in-the-workforce/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Society India’s labour force has doubled since 1990, but participation lags behind neighbours, and unemployment hits youth and graduates hardest. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-is-womens-work-participation-so-low/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/why-is-womens-work-participation-so-low/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Society Rural women are driving a sharp recovery, but urban women and young women still struggle. The gender gap remains large. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-share-of-indians-still-work-in-agriculture/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-share-of-indians-still-work-in-agriculture/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Society The share has fallen slowly from 63.1% in 1991, and even rose after 2019. Farming generates only 16.3% of GDP. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-generate-electricity/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-does-india-generate-electricity/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Energy Coal provided 71% of electricity in 2025, yet clean sources surpassed a quarter for the first time. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-dependent-is-india-on-coal/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-dependent-is-india-on-coal/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Energy In 2025, coal generated 70.8% of India's electricity. But the real story is more than one number: absolute coal use keeps rising, imports matter, and the climate cost is growing. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-indias-electricity-going-green/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-indias-electricity-going-green/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Energy Coal still dominates at 70.8%, but solar and wind are growing fast. Here's the data on India's electricity transition. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/do-nearly-all-indians-have-electricity-now/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/do-nearly-all-indians-have-electricity-now/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Energy Electricity access hit 99.5% in 2023, but cooking still relies on polluting fuels for one in four people, and per-person power use remains low. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-bad-is-indias-air-today/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-bad-is-indias-air-today/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Climate The latest WAQI station snapshots show Mumbai highest among these five cities, followed by Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-co2-does-india-emit/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-co2-does-india-emit/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Climate But per person, the average Indian released just 2.2 tonnes. Coal dominates the total. Here are five key numbers to understand India's carbon dioxide emissions. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-does-india-emit-per-person/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-does-india-emit-per-person/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Climate In 2024, India's per capita CO₂ was 2.2 tonnes, far below the world average and major emitters, but its 1.4 billion people push the national total to 3.19 billion tonnes. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-india-a-big-emitter-historically/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/is-india-a-big-emitter-historically/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Climate From negligible levels in 1858, India's historical CO2 emissions have grown to over 66 billion tonnes, making it a significant contributor to atmospheric CO2. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/do-indians-have-safe-drinking-water/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/do-indians-have-safe-drinking-water/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Society Access to basic services rose from 79.5% in 2000 to 95.7% in 2024, yet the indicator measures availability, not necessarily water quality. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-tax-does-india-collect/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/how-much-tax-does-india-collect/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Economy Tax-to-GDP ratio measures government's share of the economy. India's ratio has declined over decades. https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-share-of-the-world-is-india/ https://thisindianlife.today/articles/what-share-of-the-world-is-india/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:43:52 GMT Society India's share of the world changes sharply depending on the denominator: people, economic output, or emissions.