History of India in Timeline

India, officially the Republic of India, is located in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area and the most populous since 2023, holding the title of the world's most populous democracy post-independence in 1947. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south, the Arabian Sea to the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast. Neighboring countries include Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. Maritime neighbors include Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

1900: Decline of Indus Valley Civilization

Around 1900 BCE, the Indus Valley Civilisation, which flourished in Pakistan and western India between 2500-1900 BCE, declined. The civilization was centered around cities such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Dholavira, and Kalibangan.

1901: Temperature Increase

Between 1901 and 2018, temperatures in India have risen by 0.7 °C (1.3 °F).

1911: Primary Schools in 1911

According to Latika Chaudhary, in 1911 there were under three primary schools for every ten villages in India.

1920: Nationalist Movement

After 1920, the nationalist movement in India, noted for nonviolent resistance, became the primary factor in ending British rule.

1921: Literacy rates in 1921

In 1921 the literacy rates were 7% overall in India, with 12% for men and 2% for women.

1928: Excavation of the Pashupati Seal

In 1928–29, the Pashupati seal was excavated in Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan. The seal is carved with animals and human figures and is the best known artifact from the Indus Valley civilization.

1935: Establishment of National Parks

The system of national parks and protected areas in India was first established in 1935 and later expanded.

1947: Independence

In 1947, India gained independence, becoming the world's most populous democracy. Since then, it has been bounded by the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal, and it shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

1947: Independence and Partition

In 1947, India gained independence, but this was tempered by the partition of India into two states: India and Pakistan.

1947: War with Pakistan

In 1947, India went to war with Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

1947: Partition and Independence

In 1947, the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two independent dominions: a Hindu-majority dominion of India and a Muslim-majority dominion of Pakistan. This partition was accompanied by a large-scale loss of life and unprecedented migration.

1950: Multi-Party System

From 1950 to the late 1980s, Congress held a majority in India's parliament.

1950: Abolishment of Untouchability

In 1950, India abolished untouchability with the adoption of the constitution and has since enacted other anti-discriminatory laws and social welfare initiatives.

1950: India becomes a republic

In 1950, India became a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

1950: Constitution Completed

In 1950, India's constitution was completed, establishing a secular and democratic republic.

1950: Federal Republic

Since 1950, India has been a federal republic governed through a democratic parliamentary system, characterized as a pluralistic, multilingual, and multi-ethnic society.

1951: Literacy rates in 1951

In 1951 the literacy rates were 18% overall in India, with 27% for men and 9% for women.

1951: Population and Economic Growth

In 1951, India's population was 361 million, with a nominal per capita income of US$64 and a literacy rate of 16.6%.

1951: First post-colonial census

In 1951, the first post-colonial census counted 361 million people in India.

1951: Congress Victory

In the Republic of India's general elections in 1951, Congress, led by Jawaharlal Nehru, won easy victories.

1956: States Reorganisation Act

In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, Indian states were reorganised on a linguistic basis.

1957: Congress Victory

In the Republic of India's general elections in 1957, Congress, led by Jawaharlal Nehru, won easy victories.

1957: Jawaharlal Nehru Re-elected

Manmohan Singh became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957 to be re-elected to a consecutive five-year term.

1962: India-China War

In 1962, India went to war with China, which resulted in India's humiliation.

1962: Congress Victory

In the Republic of India's general elections in 1962, Congress, led by Jawaharlal Nehru, won easy victories.

1962: Jawaharlal Nehru Re-elected

Manmohan Singh became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to be re-elected to a consecutive five-year term.

1964: China's nuclear test

In 1964, China's nuclear test and threats to intervene in support of Pakistan in the 1965 war caused India to produce nuclear weapons.

1964: Lal Bahadur Shastri as Prime Minister

On Nehru's death in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri briefly became prime minister.

1965: Threats to intervene in support of Pakistan in the war

China's nuclear test of 1964 and threats to intervene in support of Pakistan in the 1965 war caused India to produce nuclear weapons.

1965: War with Pakistan

In 1965, India went to war with Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

1966: Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister

In 1966, Indira Gandhi succeeded Lal Bahadur Shastri as prime minister.

1967: Military conflict with China

In 1967, India successfully repelled a Chinese attack.

1967: Congress Election Victory

Indira Gandhi led the Congress to election victories in 1967.

1971: War with Pakistan

In 1971, India and Pakistan went to war following India's support for the independence of Bangladesh.

1971: Congress Election Victory

Indira Gandhi led the Congress to election victories in 1971.

1972: Wildlife Protection Act

In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial wilderness.

1974: First nuclear weapons test

In 1974, India conducted its first nuclear weapons test.

1975: State of Emergency

Following public discontent, Indira Gandhi had declared a state of emergency in 1975.

1977: Janata Party Victory

In 1977, Congress was voted out of power and the Janata Party was voted in.

1980: Congress Returned to Power

After Congress was returned to power in 1980, Indira Gandhi was assassinated and succeeded by Rajiv Gandhi, who won easily in the elections later that year.

1980: Forest Conservation Act

The Forest Conservation Act was enacted in 1980 to protect forests and their resources.

1981: Literacy rates in 1981

In 1981 the literacy rates were 41% overall in India, with 53% for men and 29% for women.

1981: Proportion of people below poverty line

In 1981, 60% of Indian population was living below the World Bank's international poverty line.

1983: India wins Cricket World Cup

In 1983, India won the Cricket World Cup.

1984: BJP Wins Absolute Majority

In the 2014 general election, the BJP became the first political party since 1984 to win an absolute majority.

1985: Share of external trade in GDP

In 1985, the share of external trade in India's GDP was 6%.

1985: Indians left poverty

Some 431 million Indians have left poverty since 1985.

1988: Amendments to Forest Conservation Act

Amendments were added to the Forest Conservation Act in 1988.

1989: National Front Coalition Victory

In the 1989 elections a National Front coalition, led by the Janata Dal in alliance with the Left Front, won.

1991: Economic liberalization

In 1991, an acute balance of payments crisis forced the nation to liberalise its economy.

1991: Congress Forms Minority Government

In the 1991 Indian general election, Congress, as the largest single party, formed a minority government led by P. V. Narasimha Rao.

1991: GDP per capita

India's nominal GDP per capita increased steadily from US$308 in 1991, when economic liberalisation began.

1991: Population growth rate

India's population grew by 21.54% from 1991–2001.

1991: Rural to urban migration

The number of people living in urban areas grew by 31.2% between 1991 and 2001.

January 1995: Member of World Trade Organization

India has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 1 January 1995.

1996: BJP Forms Government Briefly

After the 1996 Indian general election, the BJP formed a government briefly; it was followed by United Front coalitions, which depended on external political support.

1998: Additional underground testing

In 1998, India carried out additional underground nuclear testing.

1998: BJP Forms National Democratic Alliance (NDA)

In 1998, the BJP formed a coalition—the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

1999: War with Pakistan

In 1999, India went to war with Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

2000: Transition to Iron Age

During the period around 2000 BCE, many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from Chalcolithic cultures to the Iron Age ones. The Vedas, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism, were composed during this period.

2001: Contribution of petrochemical and engineering goods

Between 2001 and 2011, the contribution of petrochemical and engineering goods to total exports grew from 14% to 42%.

2001: Population growth rate

From 2001 to 2011, India's population grew by 17.64%.

2001: Child labourers

In 2001, there were 12.6 million child labourers in India.

2001: Rural to urban migration

The number of people living in urban areas grew by 31.2% between 1991 and 2001. In 2001, over 70% still lived in rural areas. The level of urbanisation increased further from 27.81% in the 2001 Census to 31.16% in the 2011 Census.

2004: Congress Forms United Progressive Alliance (UPA)

In the 2004 Indian general elections, no party won an absolute majority. Still, the Congress emerged as the largest single party, forming another successful coalition: the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

2005: Proportion of people below poverty line

In 2005, 42% of Indian population was living below the World Bank's international poverty line.

2006: Poverty levels

In 2006, India contained the largest number of people living below the World Bank's international poverty line of US$1.25 per day.

2006: Share of external trade in GDP

In 2006, the share of external trade in India's GDP stood at 24%.

2007: Economic growth rate

Averaging an economic growth rate of 7.5% for several years before 2007, India has more than doubled its hourly wage rates during the first decade of the 21st century.

2007: Income Inequality

In 2007, the per-capita net state domestic product of the richest states in India was 3.2 times that of the poorest.

2008: Exports increase

During 2008–2009, the Indian automotive industry increased exports by 36%.

2008: India's share of world trade

In 2008, India's share of world trade was 1.7%.

2008: Civilian nuclear agreement signed with the United States

In 2008, a civilian nuclear agreement was signed between India and the United States, ending earlier restrictions on India's nuclear technology and commerce.

2009: Origin of the Name "India"

According to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2009, the name "India" is derived from the Classical Latin India, referencing South Asia and an uncertain region to its east, ultimately originating from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, meaning 'river', specifically the Indus River.

2009: Domestic sales increase

During 2009–2010, the Indian automotive industry increased domestic sales by 26%.

2009: UPA Returns to Power

The UPA returned to power in the 2009 general election with increased numbers.

2010: Domestic sales increase

During 2009–2010, the Indian automotive industry increased domestic sales by 26%.

2010: GDP per capita

In 2010, India's nominal GDP per capita was US$1,380.

2011: 2011 Census

According to the 2011 census, about 73% of the population in India was literate, with 81% for men and 65% for women.

2011: Extreme poverty

According to the World Bank report, extreme poverty fell from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% in 2022-23.

2011: Indian IT industry employment and revenue

At the end of 2011, the Indian IT industry employed 2.8 million professionals and generated revenues close to US$100 billion.

2011: Contribution of petrochemical and engineering goods

Between 2001 and 2011, the contribution of petrochemical and engineering goods to total exports grew from 14% to 42%.

2011: India wins Cricket World Cup

In 2011, India won the Cricket World Cup.

2011: Indian defence budget

In 2011, the official Indian defence budget was US$36.03 billion, or 1.83% of GDP.

2011: Provisional census report

In 2011, the provisional census report reported 1,210,193,422 residents.

2011: Average annual GDP growth rate

India's average annual GDP growth rate reached 6.1% during 2011-2012.

2011: Religion in India

The 2011 census reported Hinduism as the religion in India with the largest number of followers (79.80% of the population), followed by Islam (14.23%).

2012: Indian biotech industry growth

In 2012, The Indian biotech industry grew by 15.1%.

2012: Average annual GDP growth rate

India's average annual GDP growth rate reached 6.1% during 2011-2012.

June 2013: Indian biotech industry revenues

In June 2013, Indian biotech industry had revenues of ₹235.24 billion (US$3.94 billion).

2013: Textile exporter

In 2013, India was the world's second-largest textile exporter after China.

May 26, 2014: Narendra Modi as Prime Minister

Narendra Modi, a former chief minister of Gujarat, is serving as the prime minister of India in his third term since May 26, 2014.

2014: Child Malnutrition

In 2014, 30.7% of India's children under the age of five were underweight.

2014: Corruption Perceptions Index

In 2014, India ranked 85th in the Corruption Perceptions Index.

2014: Increase in Missing Women

In 2014, the number of missing women in India quadrupled from 15 million to 63 million in the 50 years ending, faster than the population growth during the same period.

2015: Undernourishment

According to a Food and Agriculture Organization report in 2015, 15% of the Indian population was undernourished.

2016: Arms importer

Between 2016 and 2020, India accounted for 9.5% of the total global arms imports.

2017: Indian labour force

As of 2017, the 522-million-worker Indian labour force is the world's second largest.

2018: Modern slavery estimates

A 2018 Walk Free Foundation report estimated that nearly 8 million people in India were living in different forms of modern slavery.

2018: Corruption Perceptions Index

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, India ranked 78th out of 180 countries in 2018.

2018: Temperature Increase

Between 1901 and 2018, temperatures in India have risen by 0.7 °C (1.3 °F).

2019: Poverty estimates

In 2019, the poverty estimates had gone down to 10.2%.

2019: BJP Regains Absolute Majority

In the 2019 general election, the BJP regained an absolute majority.

2020: Arms importer

Between 2016 and 2020, India accounted for 9.5% of the total global arms imports.

2021: India's position in world trade

In 2021, India was the world's ninth-largest importer and the sixteenth-largest exporter.

2022: Extreme poverty

According to the World Bank report, extreme poverty fell from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% in 2022-23.

2022: Foreign exchange remittances

In 2022, India's foreign exchange remittances were US$100 billion.

2022: Defence expenditure

In fiscal year 2022, Defence expenditure was pegged at US$70.12 billion.

2023: Population Growth

By 2023, India's population had grown to over 1.4 billion.

2023: Most populous country

In 2023, India became the most populous country in the world. Prior to that India was the seventh-largest country by area.

2023: Consumer market

In 2023, India's consumer market was the world's fifth largest.

2023: India's population

With an estimated 1,428,627,663 residents in 2023, India is the world's most populous country.

2024: Indian economy worth

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Indian economy in 2024 was nominally worth $3.94 trillion.

2024: GDP per capita

In 2024, India's nominal GDP per capita was an estimated US$2,731.

2024: BJP-led NDA Coalition Forms Government

In the 2024 general election, a BJP-led NDA coalition formed the government.

2025: Poverty decline

As of 2025, Poverty in India declined sharply according to a World Bank report.

2025: Decline of Poverty

As of 2025, poverty in India declined sharply, mainly due to government welfare programs.

2026: GDP per capita

It is expected that GDP per capita will grow to US$3,264 by 2026.

2030: Middle classes projection

India's middle classes are projected to number around 580 million by 2030.

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