Number of children under 5 in India
India: Number of children under 5 was 114.67 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
114.67 million people
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
1st
of 236 countries
All-time high
134.60 million people
in 2004
All-time low
52.01 million people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children under 5 in India, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, number of children under 5 in India stood at 114.67 million people.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in India peaked at 134.60 million people in 2004 and was at its lowest, 52.01 million people, in 1950.
That places India 1st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Number of children under 5 in India, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 52.01 million people | — |
| 1951 | 54.39 million people | +4.6% |
| 1952 | 56.93 million people | +4.7% |
| 1953 | 59.64 million people | +4.8% |
| 1954 | 62.03 million people | +4.0% |
| 1955 | 63.96 million people | +3.1% |
| 1956 | 65.80 million people | +2.9% |
| 1957 | 67.54 million people | +2.6% |
| 1958 | 69.14 million people | +2.4% |
| 1959 | 70.61 million people | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 72.05 million people | +2.0% |
| 1961 | 73.54 million people | +2.1% |
| 1962 | 75.05 million people | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 76.62 million people | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 78.29 million people | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 79.79 million people | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 81.05 million people | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 82.25 million people | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 83.57 million people | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 84.97 million people | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 86.44 million people | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 88.06 million people | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 89.74 million people | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 91.46 million people | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 93.30 million people | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 95.17 million people | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 97.03 million people | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 98.84 million people | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 100.51 million people | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 102.22 million people | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 104.22 million people | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 106.39 million people | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 108.61 million people | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 110.99 million people | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 113.42 million people | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 115.69 million people | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 117.84 million people | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 119.86 million people | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 121.61 million people | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 123.11 million people | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 124.34 million people | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 125.31 million people | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 126.14 million people | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 126.91 million people | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 127.60 million people | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 128.32 million people | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 129.04 million people | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 129.72 million people | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 130.40 million people | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 131.08 million people | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 131.84 million people | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 132.80 million people | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 133.71 million people | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 134.31 million people | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 134.60 million people | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 134.35 million people | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 133.44 million people | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 132.16 million people | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 130.90 million people | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 129.88 million people | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 129.10 million people | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 128.48 million people | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 127.97 million people | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 127.34 million people | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 126.06 million people | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 124.47 million people | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 123.22 million people | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 121.86 million people | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 120.51 million people | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 119.62 million people | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 118.58 million people | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 117.08 million people | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 115.77 million people | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 114.67 million people | -1.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 114.67 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.25 million people, 91.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 114.67 million people is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.21 million people, 51.8× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 62.21 million people | 52.01 million people | 70.61 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 78.72 million people | 72.05 million people | 84.97 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 94.28 million people | 86.44 million people | 102.22 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 114.17 million people | 104.22 million people | 123.11 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 127.89 million people | 124.34 million people | 131.08 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 132.80 million people | 129.88 million people | 134.60 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 124.86 million people | 119.62 million people | 129.10 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 116.53 million people | 114.67 million people | 118.58 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children under 5 in India?
- Number of children under 5 in India was 114.67 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 134.60 million people in 2004.
- What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.01 million people in 1950.
- How does India rank for number of children under 5?
- India ranks 1st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.