India population pyramid 2026
1,476,625,576 people in 2026 (projected). India’s pyramid has stopped widening at the base: the largest bands are now young adults aged 15–29, a sign that fertility has fallen to near replacement.
- 2026 population
- 1.48Brank 1 of 237
- Median age
- 29.2 yearsoldest rank 143
- Fertility rate
- 1.93births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Transitional7.6% age 65+
India population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
India age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 23.8% of the population, while 7.6% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 68.6% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies India’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 45.8: about 46 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (34.7 children and 11.1 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes India’s population pyramid
A base that has stopped widening
For most of the twentieth century India’s pyramid widened at every step down, as in the 1975 chart where children aged 0–4 formed the broadest band. In 2026 the broadest band is 20–24, people born in 2002–06, and each younger band is a little narrower: ages 0–4 hold about 7.7% of the population against 8.8% at 20–24. This reflects a steady fall in fertility, from close to six children per woman in 1950 to about 1.9 in the UN estimates, in line with the national figure of about 2.0 reported by the 2019–21 National Family Health Survey. The decline is uneven: southern states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu reached replacement-level fertility decades before populous northern states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, so the national pyramid blends quite different regional shapes.
Growth from momentum, not high fertility
Fertility is now around or slightly below replacement, yet the population keeps growing because the large cohorts aged 15–34 are in, or entering, their main childbearing years. This is population momentum, and it is why India’s working-age share is near its historical high. The contrast with China is striking in the India vs China comparison: China’s base contracted abruptly, while India’s is narrowing gradually. Set beside a country earlier in the transition, as in India vs Nigeria, India’s shape already looks middle-aged.
More boys than girls
Males outnumber females in every band under 60; at ages 0–4 there are about 108 boys per 100 girls, above the biological norm of about 105. Son preference and prenatal sex selection, which Indian law has prohibited since 1994, are the documented causes. The 2011 census recorded only 918 girls per 1,000 boys aged 0–6. India has not completed a census since 2011, so recent estimates rely heavily on the Sample Registration System and national surveys.
Under the UN medium scenario India reaches about 1.68 billion people by 2050, still growing slowly, with a median age near 38 and the widest bands at ages 40–49, as the India 2050 pyramid shows.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so India’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2063. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2060.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, India is projected to record 22,988,461 births (about one birth every 1.4 seconds) and 9,888,274 deaths, a natural increase of 13,100,187. Net migration adds −440,456 people, ranking #120 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 630,248,820 births, 222,387,904 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −11,427,251. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −9,636,701 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 74.4 years40.4 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 71.2 years41.9 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 15.9 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 20.9per 1,000 births · 176 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 26.1per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 27.8 yearssex ratio at birth 106.7
Women in India are projected to live 3.2 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 176 to 20.9 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #61 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 27.8 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for India
The median age of 29.2 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.93 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,476,625,576 | #1 | Largest first |
| Median age | 29.2 years | #143 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.93 | #114 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +0.9% | #106 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 years | #152 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 7.6% | #138 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in India
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20–24 | 128,964,063 | 8.7% | 67.6M / 61.4M |
| 2 | 25–29 | 126,579,855 | 8.6% | 66.4M / 60.2M |
| 3 | 15–19 | 126,213,668 | 8.5% | 66.1M / 60.1M |
| 4 | 10–14 | 122,038,949 | 8.3% | 63.8M / 58.3M |
| 5 | 30–34 | 120,822,655 | 8.2% | 63.1M / 57.7M |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, India has 761,119,796 males and 715,505,781 females. That is 106.4 males per 100 females, ranking #20 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 51.5% of the population and females for 48.5%. There are 45,614,015 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 91.1 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 106.7 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How India has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 346,278,821 in 1950 to 1,476,625,576 in 2026, a change of 326%. Over the same span, median age moved from 20.0 to 29.2 years.
The under-15 share changed from 37.9% to 23.8%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.1% to 7.6%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the India population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, India’s population is projected to grow by about 14%, reaching 1,679,589,259 in 2050. The median age changes from 29.2 to 38.3 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 7.1 percentage points to 14.7%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 17.8%. The India population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 1,701,283,707 in 2061. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 346,278,821 | 20.0 | 5.73 | 41.2 | 15,287,998 | 7,852,218 | −62,674 | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 435,990,338 | 19.2 | 5.92 | 45.6 | 18,705,011 | 8,467,287 | +146,955 | +2.4% |
| 1970 | 545,864,268 | 18.1 | 5.62 | 48.6 | 21,705,420 | 9,287,486 | +233,782 | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 687,354,026 | 18.9 | 4.78 | 53.6 | 25,471,068 | 9,452,574 | +210,914 | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 864,972,222 | 19.7 | 4.04 | 58.6 | 28,171,519 | 9,277,646 | +125,514 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 1,057,922,733 | 21.2 | 3.35 | 62.7 | 29,111,712 | 9,127,431 | −143,960 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 1,243,481,564 | 23.6 | 2.60 | 67.2 | 26,900,711 | 8,908,604 | −50,905 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 1,402,617,695 | 27.0 | 2.05 | 70.2 | 23,485,339 | 10,118,286 | −73,806 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 1,438,069,596 | 28.1 | 1.98 | 72.0 | 23,219,489 | 9,507,008 | −979,179 | +0.9% |
| 2024* | 1,450,935,791 | 28.4 | 1.96 | 72.2 | 23,186,978 | 9,557,050 | −630,830 | +0.9% |
| 2026* | 1,476,625,576 | 29.2 | 1.93 | 72.7 | 22,988,461 | 9,888,274 | −440,456 | +0.9% |
| 2030* | 1,525,138,844 | 30.8 | 1.88 | 73.6 | 22,550,562 | 10,596,097 | −388,547 | +0.8% |
| 2040* | 1,622,580,039 | 34.7 | 1.80 | 75.7 | 20,758,827 | 12,612,595 | −399,517 | +0.5% |
| 2050* | 1,679,589,259 | 38.3 | 1.76 | 77.5 | 18,961,897 | 14,785,322 | −371,956 | +0.2% |
| 2060* | 1,700,951,714 | 41.3 | 1.73 | 79.3 | 17,822,217 | 16,939,030 | −363,801 | +0.0% |
| 2070* | 1,689,202,539 | 43.6 | 1.72 | 81.0 | 16,498,187 | 19,004,294 | −385,599 | -0.2% |
| 2080* | 1,645,548,761 | 45.5 | 1.71 | 82.5 | 15,183,297 | 20,494,500 | −355,938 | -0.3% |
| 2090* | 1,580,305,096 | 46.9 | 1.70 | 84.0 | 14,200,394 | 21,057,385 | −355,671 | -0.5% |
| 2100* | 1,505,251,761 | 47.8 | 1.69 | 85.3 | 13,154,703 | 20,544,878 | −319,573 | -0.5% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 58,377,910 | 54,462,846 | 112,840,756 | 7.6% |
| 5–9 | 60,517,269 | 55,818,782 | 116,336,051 | 7.9% |
| 10–14 | 63,758,124 | 58,280,825 | 122,038,949 | 8.3% |
| 15–19 | 66,102,266 | 60,111,402 | 126,213,668 | 8.5% |
| 20–24 | 67,577,598 | 61,386,465 | 128,964,063 | 8.7% |
| 25–29 | 66,396,385 | 60,183,470 | 126,579,855 | 8.6% |
| 30–34 | 63,103,645 | 57,719,010 | 120,822,655 | 8.2% |
| 35–39 | 59,419,674 | 55,046,499 | 114,466,173 | 7.8% |
| 40–44 | 54,063,251 | 50,289,524 | 104,352,775 | 7.1% |
| 45–49 | 46,665,776 | 43,954,216 | 90,619,992 | 6.1% |
| 50–54 | 40,160,952 | 38,637,183 | 78,798,135 | 5.3% |
| 55–59 | 33,664,488 | 33,056,213 | 66,720,701 | 4.5% |
| 60–64 | 27,760,324 | 27,753,214 | 55,513,538 | 3.8% |
| 65–69 | 21,788,582 | 22,369,264 | 44,157,846 | 3.0% |
| 70–74 | 15,488,423 | 16,643,677 | 32,132,100 | 2.2% |
| 75–79 | 8,977,225 | 10,234,935 | 19,212,160 | 1.3% |
| 80–84 | 4,463,068 | 5,556,511 | 10,019,579 | 0.7% |
| 85–89 | 2,010,383 | 2,772,216 | 4,782,599 | 0.3% |
| 90–94 | 667,277 | 993,030 | 1,660,307 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 140,554 | 210,325 | 350,879 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 16,622 | 26,174 | 42,796 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to India’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Ecuador99% overlap · median age 29.7
- Mexico98% overlap · median age 30.0
- Peru97% overlap · median age 30.5
- Myanmar97% overlap · median age 30.4
- Dominican Republic97% overlap · median age 28.7
- Morocco97% overlap · median age 30.1
Compare India with other countries
Side-by-side pages put two pyramids on the same percentage scale, with a full indicator table and the projected change to 2050.
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for India.
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Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). India Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/india/
MLA
“India Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/india/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “India Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/india/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of India in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, India's population in 2026 is projected at 1,476,625,576.
What is the median age in India?
The projected median age in India in 2026 is 29.2 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in India?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.93 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is India's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 14%, from 1.48B to 1.68B.
What share of India is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 7.6% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 14.7%.
How many babies are born in India each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 22,988,461 births and 9,888,274 deaths in 2026, about one birth every 1.4 seconds. Births exceed deaths by 13,100,187.
What is life expectancy in India for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 74.4 years for women and 71.2 years for men, a gap of 3.2 years in favour of women.
Does India have more immigrants or emigrants?
India is projected to lose about 440,456 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −11,427,251.
What is the sex ratio in India?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 106.4 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.