From the outside looking in, India might seem like a monolithic entity. But don’t be fooled—everyone kind of hates each other. So much so, in fact, that the number of Indian states and territories is generally a moving target. Regardless, here they are, listed by their 2020 population estimates. This data is widely available and not particularly earth-shattering. It did, however, allow me to make some cool tables.
Here’s a map for reference.
States (28)
| State | Estimated 2020 Population |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 53,903,393 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 1,570,458 |
| Assam | 35,607,039 |
| Bihar | 124,799,926 |
| Chhattisgarh | 29,436,231 |
| Goa | 1,586,250 |
| Gujarat | 63,872,399 |
| Haryana | 28,204,692 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 7,451,955 |
| Jharkhand | 38,593,948 |
| Karnataka | 67,562,686 |
| Kerala | 35,699,443 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 85,358,965 |
| Maharashtra | 123,144,223 |
| Manipur | 3,091,545 |
| Meghalaya | 3,366,710 |
| Mizoram | 1,239,244 |
| Nagaland | 2,249,695 |
| Odisha | 46,356,334 |
| Punjab | 30,141,373 |
| Rajasthan | 81,032,689 |
| Sikkim | 690,251 |
| Tamil Nadu | 77,841,267 |
| Telangana | 39,362,732 |
| Tripura | 4,169,794 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 237,882,725 |
| Uttarakhand | 11,250,858 |
| West Bengal | 99,609,303 |
Union Territories (8)
| Territory | Estimated 2020 Population |
|---|---|
| Anadaman and Nicobar Islands | 417,036 |
| Chandigarh | 1,158,473 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 615,724 |
| Delhi | 18,710,922 |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 13,606,320 |
| Ladakh | 289,023 |
| Lakshadweep | 73,183 |
| Puducherry | 1,413,542 |
A Few Take-Home Messages
- Uttar Pradesh contains one-sixth of India’s population, meaning the state would be the fifth-most-populated country in the world.
- Uttar Pradesh and Bihar combined have a greater population than the United States.
- Eight Indian states are more populated than France (65 million).
- As Vermont has a population of around 643,000 and is also located in the northeast of its country, it will now be called the Sikkim of the US. Sikkim, in turn, will be the Vermont of India.
- Indian states and territories add up to a lot of people.
10 Responses
The diversity of culture between the states is astounding making it a vibrant country!!
Vibrant indeed!
Very cool. Truly a huge country of countries.
I like that! A country of countries.
I have visited 5 states and 2 territories—beautiful country, and I would love to see more of it. Fortunately, India’s tourism industry has improved considerably.
Very cool. Five states and two territories is a great start! And I totally agree—the tourism industry in India has really taken things up a notch.
there is one thing that i want to get out of my chest. please forgive me.
India is not a huge country as thought of, relative to population, India is 1/3 of U.S.A in area with 3 times more people {1.4 billion vs 350 million} that is difference of 9 times. one example only.
Very true—it’s the population and population density that are huge. By land area, India is 7th in the world (though well behind Russia, Canada, China, US, Brazil, and Australia).
India is a huge country and even though I studied in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and come from Maharashtra, I have not seen most of the huge country.
There is undoubtedly a ton to see in the beautiful country.