India Country Report

The world's second-most populous country, with a population of over 1.39 billion, India sits on a land mass of about 3.1 million square kilometres, the seventh-largest country by area (The World Bank, 2021). It is in South Asia and home to arguably the biggest democracy globally. India shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. The Indian Ocean bounds it in the south, the Arabian Sea in the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal in the southeast. India’s topography is vast and varied, comprising a wide range of weather conditions. Referencing the Köppen system, the country has six climatic subtypes. Its climate is arid desert in the west, alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, and humid tropical regions supporting rainforests in the southwest and the island territories. Many regions have starkly different microclimates. India is a leading global economic force. Its economy was nominally worth US$9.3 trillion in 2021 (World Bank, 2022b). It is the fifth largest by market exchange rate and the third largest by purchasing power parity (PPP), at over US$11 trillion (International Monetary Fund, 2022). With its average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 8.7% for 2021–2022, India is one of the fastest-growing economies. However, it ranks 142nd for nominal world GDP per capita and 128th for GDP per capita at PPP (The World Bank, 2022a). Despite economic growth in recent decades, India continues to face socio-economic challenges such as poverty and access to modern energy. Energy consumption has more than doubled since 2000, propelled upwards by a growing population – soon to be the world’s largest – and a period of rapid economic growth. Near-universal household access to electricity was achieved in 2019, which means that over 900 million citizens have gained an electrical connection in less than 2 decades (IEA, 2021). Total energy consumption per capita remains about 0.7 tonne of oil equivalent (toe) (2021), half the Asian average (Enerdata, 2022). Despite continued growth, India is still at a comparatively low human development index level of 0.645 in 2019 and a global rank of 131 (UNDP, 2020). It continues to have a large underserved yet aspiring population, indicating that development is the most critical priority. The country faces increasing challenges in meeting growing commercial energy demand sustainably. The concern assumes even greater significance in the context of volatility in global fuel prices and growing global pressure to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Ensuring rapid economic growth and enhancing access to energy and infrastructure in an environmentally sustainable manner with limited resources makes it a complex challenge for India's planners and decision-makers to ensure sustainability and a better living standard.