Ranking Countries

IND · Asia · refreshed Aug 10, 2026

If India were a US state

It would sit in the top half on 12 of 23 measures — and come first on 9 of them.

Map showing where India is in the world
11th
median, of 52
88th
median, world
9
first places
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Countries that rank like India

Head to head: India vs the United States, measure by measure · or against Algeria.

From the blog: How representative are country rankings?

All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →

Common questions

Questions people ask about India

If India were a US state, how would it rank?

Across 23 measures of health, safety, money, education and the environment, India's median rank would be 11th on a list of the 50 states plus Washington, DC. It lands in the top half of that list on 12 of the 23 measures.

Is India richer than the average US state?

India's GDP per capita is $11,748, price-adjusted so states and countries sit on one scale. That would rank 52nd of 52 among the states — poorer than most US states. Source: World Bank (PPP), 2025. See the full ranking

What is life expectancy in India vs the US?

People in India live 72.2 years on average — 6.7 years shorter than the US figure of 78.9 years. Among the states, India would rank 48th of 52. Source: World Bank / UN Population Division, 2024. See the full ranking

How safe is India compared to US states?

India's homicide rate is 2.8 per 100k — lower than in most US states. Ranked with the states on the lowest rate, it would come 10th of 52. Source: UNODC / WHO, 2022. See the full ranking

Where does India rank in the world?

On the 30 measures with wide global coverage, India's median rank is 88th out of roughly 190 countries (coverage varies by measure). Rank 1st means best in the world.

What is India best at?

Compared with US states, India's strongest measure is lowest gun deaths: at 1 per 100k, it would rank 1st of 52. It does equally well on lowest prisoner population. Source: IHME Global Burden of Disease, 2019. See the full ranking

What is India weakest at?

India's weakest showing is average wages: 1,120 $/month (PPP) would rank 52nd of 52 — last place on the list. Source: ILO (ILOSTAT), 2025. See the full ranking

How happy are people in India?

India scores 4.54 / 10 for self-reported life satisfaction, ranking 122nd of 162 countries worldwide. Source: World Happiness Report, 2025. See the full ranking

How big is India compared to a US state?

India has about 1,463.9 million people — more people than any US state. Dropped into the list of 50 states plus DC, it would rank 1st of 52 by population. Source: World Bank, 2025. See the full ranking