25 Interesting Facts about India

What do you know about India? Here’s a list of 25 Interesting facts about India and Indians that you probably didn’t know! 

To make this even more fun, I want to challenge you. How many of these India facts did you already know before reading? Share your result in the comment section at the end of the article!

Further down, you can also read some more general facts about India such as total population, biggest lake, highest mountain, official languages, type of government, flag, currency, biggest city etc.

Throughout history, several Indian inventions have changed the world forever. Some of the most notable inventions are The Zero, Buttons, Cotton cultivation, chess, shampoo, binary code, fiber optics, ayurvedic medicine, yoga, ruler, and radio/wireless communication.

2. Half of the population is under the age of 25

India’s population is growing faster than ever and it’s estimated that more than half of the population is under the age of 25, which makes them one of the youngest populations in the world.

3. Cows are holy

Did you know that Hindus consider cows to be holy and sacred? Killing a cow is considered to be a felony and can result in jail if it’s not by accident. While many other countries eat cows regularly, this could lead to imprisonment here.

4. India has at least 454 actively spoken languages and 22 official ones

Foreigners will get by quite easily by using English, it’s also appreciated if one learn a few words or sentences in the local language. Which language that’s being used will depend on the region and also what ethnic group the Indians of that region come from.

In total, there at least 454 living languages are spoken daily in India, and the government has recognized 16 official languages! Some of the most widely spoken languages include Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, and Sanskrit.

5. It used to be an island

The are that India consists of today was once an island. However, this was a very long time ago, about 100 million years ago to be more precise, when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The ancient supercontinent is referred to as Gondwanaland.

Some 50 million years ago, Gondwanaland collided with Asia. This event formed the Himalayas, where you can see the world’s tallest mountains.

6. 70% of the world’s spices come from India

Do you like spicy food? Then there’s a good chance that some of the spices you like have Indian origins. One of the many interesting facts about India!

7. It’s the largest democracy in the world

India has the largest amount of voters worldwide, and they’re considered to be the largest successful democracy in the world.

8. There are around 51 births each minute, 3,060 births each hour and 73,440 births per day

Now that’s a lot of people being born each day! Compared to Sweden that’s almost the same number as the total births per year.

9. Indian cuisine is spread and loved worldwide

The odds that you’ve tried Indian food is very high. I’ve yet to visit a city without an Indian restaurant. And no wonder, because their food is absolutely delicious and loved worldwide. But, of course, it tastes even better in India!

10. The world’s largest tea producer

Heard of Chai tea? It’s the number one popular beverage in India, and there are various other kinds of tea as well. Some of the most famous teas include Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiri, and Kangra.

This is perhaps one of the more obvious facts about India, but still an important one!

11. Indians eat less meat than the rest of the world per person

Did you know that many Indians are vegetarians? How many % of the population varies depending on the region, but in general Indians eat less meat per person than the rest of the world. A big reason for this is because meat is not the primary focus or flavoring in Indian cuisine as well as the fact that many of the practiced religions preach vegetarianism.

However, the majority of the Indian people eat meat at times. It’s a common misconception that the majority are vegetarians, but as many as 70% eat meat occasionally.

12. The oldest continuous civilization

The Indian culture and traditions are ancient dating back several thousands of year. And still today, the civilization lives on which makes it one of the oldest still continuous civilizations in the world!

13. The Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world

Indian consumer spending is projected to rise to $3.6 trillion in 2020, from $991 billion in 2010. And the economy is growing fast and nowadays India is definitely considered to be one of the world’s economic powerhouses.

Another interesting fact about India – Before the British invasion, it was one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

14. Yoga originated in India and is still practiced 5000 years later

Yoga has been practiced for more than 5000 years, and in the recent decades, the global interest in this form of healing and activity has massively increased around the world. Nowadays you can find yoga places in almost every single country.

15. Over 100 000 people are fed daily at the Golden Temple

Every day at the Golden Temple in Amritsar over 100 000 people get a free vegetarian meal served. More than 200 000 rotis (Indian flatbread) and 1.5 tonnes of dal (Indian lentil soup) are being prepared daily.

5 x Fun facts about India

• India exports over $415 million worth of hair a year
• There are more mobile phones than toilets
• The Indian Railways have more than 1 million employees
• More than 23 000 people speak a language called “anal”
• India’s road network is long enough to loop around Earth over 117 times

5 x India facts for kids

• The Bengal tiger is India’s national animal.
• Home to the second largest English speaking population in the world
• About 80% of the total population are Hindus
• Mawsynram in the Khasi hills is the wettest place in the world
• Siddharta Gautama – Buddha was of Indian origin

General facts about India

• Total Population: 1,324,171,354.
• Capital: New Delhi.
• Biggest City: Mumbai.
• Highest Mountain: Kangchenjunga – 8586 meters.
• Land area: 3,287,263 km²
• Biggest Lake: Shivaji Sagar Lake of Koyna Dam (man-made) and Wular Lake (fresh-water) and Pangong Tso (salt)
• National Day: 15 August.
• Government: Federal parliamentary constitutional socialist republic
• Prime minister: Narendra Modi
• Currency: Indian Rupees (INR)
• Official language: Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Konkani, Malayalam, Sindhi, Santali, Telugu, Odia, Nepali, Marathi, Manipuri, Maithili, Kannada, Kashmiri, Gujarati, Dogri, Bodo, Assamese.
• Member of Nato: No.
• National song: “Jana Gana Mana”
• Official website: www.india.gov.in
• Timezone: Indian Standard Time (IST) = UTC +5.30
• Country Number/Prefix: +91
• Country Code: IN.

Biggest Cities

• Mumbai
• New Delhi
• Kolkata
• Chennai
• Bangalore
• Hyderabad
• Ahmedabad
• Pune
• Surat
• Jaipur

Flag of India

The flag consists of the tricolor and Ashoka Chakra. The Saffron color is a symbol for courage and selflessness of the nation. The White represents the honesty, purity, and peace of the nation.

And the green represents the faith, fertility, and prosperity of the nation.

Map of India

Here’s a map of the country, and as you can see India has borders to China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar/Burma by land. The maritime borders also include Thailand, Maldives, and Indonesia.

Photo: Shutterstock

How many of these India Facts did you know beforehand? Share your result in the comment section below!