Data Bytes

The population dependency ratio is the share of those segments of the population who are dependents - children and the elderly - relative to those parts of the population who can be economically productive. A higher dependency ratio means that a country will need to spend more money on welfare measures like education, childcare, eldercare and pensions, while having a smaller base of people who can produce the wealth that is needed to fund such a safety net.

India's 'demographic dividend' was in part fueled by the decline in its total dependency ratio since the 1960s. As population growth began to slow down, more adults (aged 15-64 years) of working age were part of the population, forming a large workforce able to fuel the economy. This was reflected in the falling child dependency ratio - the ratio of children (aged 0-14 years) relative to the population.

But the total dependency ratio is made up of two parts - the child dependency ratio and the old-age dependency ratio. As India ages, the old-age dependency ratio keeps rising, and within the next ten years, this will drive the first increase in India's total dependency ratio in 70 years. This has implications for growth, development, eldercare and society.

Read more about how dependency ratios differ by state in India.

The usage of tobacco varies by region in India and is highest in its eastern states and lowest in the southern states and in Punjab.

Almost four in ten men aged 15-49 use tobacco in some form, according to the National Family Health Survey (2019-21). Given that fewer than one in ten women use tobacco, we look at data for men to understand regional patterns in tobacco consumption.

Tobacco use is highest in India's north-eastern states, where more than half the male population uses tobacco or tobacco products. Several eastern states, including Odisha and Bihar, also report very high tobacco use among men at over 50%, followed by Jharkhand and West Bengal.

In contrast, many states in the south, as well as Punjab, have much lower levels of tobacco consumption.

The type of tobacco consumed also varies widely across states. In western and central India, most men who use tobacco consume chewing products such as gutkha, paan masala and khaini. In the southern and northern states, where overall tobacco use is lower, smoking bidis or cigarettes is more common among those who do consume tobacco. In the north-eastern states, patterns differ by state, with chewing tobacco more common in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, while smoking is more prevalent in Meghalaya and Mizoram.

All forms of tobacco have serious health consequences and are a major risk factor for serious non-communicable diseases, like cancers, heart disease and respiratory illnesses.

Read more about the rise of non-communicable diseases in India.

India's district and subordinate courts, the first rung of the judicial hierarchy, had 48 million pending cases as of March 2026. Of these, over 650,000 cases were pending for over 20 years, and over 75,000 were older than 30 years.

Five states - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Odisha - are the major contributors to India's oldest court backlogs, accounting for 96% of all cases older than 20 years in lower courts.

Pendency in these five states is high not just at the level of lower courts, but also at the High Court level. These five states together account for 46% of India's population, but for 56% of all pending cases.

India's Supreme Court in 2024 recommended a detailed strategy for a phase-by-phase reduction of pendency, prioritising the disposal of cases older than 30 years, 20-30 years and 10-20 years, in that order. For these five states, the plan called for complete disposal of cases older than 30 years by June 2025, and the disposal of all cases in the 20-30 years bracket by December 2025.

However, these states have not been able to meet the target. Nationally as well, the number of cases in the 20-30 years bracket increased by 20% since 2022.

Read more about the types of cases that clog India's courts here.