Development of India

Not long ago, India suffered from famines, and immense poverty and was not well developed. India these days is a Newly Emerging Economy (NEE) and is developing at a rapid rate. An awful lot has changed! But not everything. The development of India is still ongoing as it changes from a farming society to a modern state.

Development geography of India

Within the next decade (before 2030), India is predicted to become the world's largest country in population, passing China!

India will likely be the largest country in the world for the rest of the century, and also the world's largest democracy. India is also the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

Here are some more key facts about India's development geography:

• Mostly tropical climate; more farmable soil than any country other than the US.
• Many port cities; located along a major maritime trade route connecting Europe with Asia.
• Has most of the natural resources it needs.
• Nuclear power; unfriendly relationships with Pakistan and China.
• Discrimination based on caste (class) is widespread, though this has been banned for many years.

Urban development geography in India

The National Capital Territory of Dehli, with over 30 million people is one of the largest urban areas in the world. Other megacities (over 10 million) include Calcutta and Mumbai.

Over a third of all people in India live in cities. Though these cities contain vast slums with very poor living conditions, for many migrants they are still preferable to the rural areas they left. Cities have jobs, healthcare, and education that villages do not.

Fig. 1 - Tardeo at night. This Mumbai neighbourhood is one of the wealthiest in India.

Impacts of development in India

Until around 1990, India's government played a central role in economic development decisions. With the government largely controlling how the economy grew, businesses could not thrive and with outdated farming techniques in the villages, India became associated with poverty and starvation. And then...

1. The 'Green Revolution' brought modern farming techniques and better seeds, helping boost how much food India could grow. India became a food exporter and could mostly feed its own people.
2. The government loosened its grip and let people run their own businesses and form companies without much interference. Various economic sectors boomed, many people became millionaires and billionaires, and over 400 million people joined the middle and upper classes. India became an advanced country in high technology, manufacturing, the service sector, education.

Social impacts of development

Hundreds of millions of Indians remain in poverty. Today, close to 70% live in poverty, and 30% live in extreme poverty.

Let's look at some statistics. We call these indicators. This means that they can tell us what India's development level is.

Fig. 2 - A street market scene in Uttar Pradesh state

Gross National Income (GNI) per head

This measures how much income an average person receives.

We get it by dividing the total income of the country by the population. In 1962, the GNI per head was 75 British pounds equivalent. This grew slowly until 2002, when it was around 380 pounds. After that, the GNI per head grew quickly and now is around 1750 pounds. This reflects annual economic growth of 5% to over 10%, which is two to three times what is considered good growth in the UK or US.

You should keep in mind that this is only an average. Development in India is uneven (see below). Many people receive far less, and many receive far more.

Infant mortality

This measures how many children die at birth. It indicates health conditions and level of social development. India's rate is around 30 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

India has achieved a lot when you consider that in 1950, its infant mortality rate was 189/1,000. What is more, by 2100, the United Nations predicts that the rate will drop to just 5/1,000.

Life expectancy

India's life expectancy is 70, a massive increase from only 35 in 1950. Still, this only puts India at #191 in the world, meaning that 190 countries have higher expectancies and only 37 lower. Improved access to vaccines and antibiotics has greatly increased life expectancy.

People per doctor

The World Health Organization recommends one doctor per 1,000 people. India has around one per 1,400 people. Developed countries have over 3 per 1,000.

Literacy rate

India has made great strides in educating its people. Around 75% of Indians over the age of 15 can read and write: 82% of men and 68% of women. Compare this to the 1980s, only around 40% of Indian people were literate.

Access to safe water

Unsafe water means it is contaminated and dangerous to drink. This leads to many health problems. Now, after decades of improvements, less than 15% of Indians don't have clean water. However, this still means that 160 million people are without a source of safe water for drinking.

Environmental impacts of development

How does India's 1.4 billion people interact with the natural environment, and how are they affected by climate change?

In urban and rural areas, contamination has worsened from industrial pollutants, agricultural chemicals, and other sources. More people and more economic activity have led to more pollution. India is one of the world's top food producers, but climate change could cause wetter crop areas to dry out. Droughts could cause devastating damage. Even the Ganges River, a water source for hundreds of millions, is not safe, because much of its water comes from the Himalayan glaciers, and these are melting fast.

Fig. 3 - The Oshiwara River in Mumbai.

India also has many environmental solutions. India has more environmental groups than any other country an is legendary for its tree-planting efforts. It has a strong national parks system that protects its important and famous animals and plants. Environmental laws are very strict in India.

For many visitors to India, the worst effect of development they will see is air pollution in the major cities. The National Capital Region is one of the most polluted urban areas in the world, and the air is often dangerous to breathe. The main polluters are automobiles, cooking fires, dust, and industrial emissions.

Birth rate and death rate in India

India's birth rate dropped from 44/1,000 people in 1950 to just 17/1,000 in 2022, or a 1.2% drop per year. It is projected to keep dropping. This works out to a fertility rate (average children born per woman) drop from six to a little over two. At the same time, thanks to modern medicine, the death rate dropped from 28/1,000 to 7.3/1,000. This all works out to a current population increase rate of about 1%, meaning India adds around 11 million new people to the world population every year.

Uneven development in India

India has poorer and richer regions. Let's take a brief look at why.

Fig. 4 - Traditional farming in Tamil Nadu state.

The biggest factor in India's uneven development is the divide between rural areas and urban areas. States like Uttar Pradesh, which has over 200 million people, are mostly rural, which means much lower development indicators than states that are mostly urban and industrial.

There are many reasons why India's farmers are poorer than its city dwellers. Here are a few:

• It is harder to provide services to areas that are spread out and sometimes difficult to reach, compared to cities. Cities have many education, health, and job sites nearby.
• Jobs in cities pay more than what farmers can earn.
• Different cultures in rural areas versus cities. Rural areas are more traditional than cities, so people may not accept change as easily, even if it means better and faster development.
• The caste system may be stronger in rural areas. Low-caste people have difficulty getting good jobs.