Total natural resource rents in India
India: Total natural resource rents was 3.2% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Total natural resource rents in India, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2021, total natural resource rents in India stood at 3.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 77.0% on the previous year and down 40.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in India peaked at 7.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1970.
That places India 88th out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in India, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.7% | — |
| 1971 | 0.9% | +23.4% |
| 1972 | 0.9% | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | +14.0% |
| 1974 | 1.6% | +64.1% |
| 1975 | 3.1% | +91.4% |
| 1976 | 3.0% | -3.7% |
| 1977 | 4.0% | +32.2% |
| 1978 | 3.4% | -14.5% |
| 1979 | 3.3% | -3.1% |
| 1980 | 2.9% | -12.8% |
| 1981 | 3.9% | +35.8% |
| 1982 | 4.1% | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 3.5% | -14.9% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | -4.8% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 2.4% | -31.5% |
| 1987 | 2.2% | -9.1% |
| 1988 | 2.1% | -4.6% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | +37.3% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | +20.0% |
| 1991 | 3.1% | -8.8% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | -9.8% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -12.7% |
| 1994 | 2.1% | -13.6% |
| 1995 | 2.5% | +19.8% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -11.2% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | -18.9% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | +33.4% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -4.9% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | +42.3% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | +15.4% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 4.4% | +12.9% |
| 2008 | 7.1% | +60.0% |
| 2009 | 3.4% | -52.7% |
| 2010 | 4.5% | +33.8% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | +18.0% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | -24.2% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | -8.7% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | -23.4% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | -36.8% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +13.7% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -10.8% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -11.3% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | +77.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 3.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.4%, 72% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 3.2% is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.6%, 5.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.2% | 0.7% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 2.1% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 1.8% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.5% | 2.2% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 1.7% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 2 |
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 total natural resource rents in India?
- Total natural resource rents in India was 3.2% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 7.1% in 2008.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1970.
- How does India rank for total natural resource rents?
- India ranks 88th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.