About India


People
  • Population = 1,156,897,766:  2nd most populated country in the world
  • India is 1/3 the size of the United States, but is home to 275% more people 
Language
  • 41% speak Hindi
  • India has 15 official languages and an estimated 438 total living languages
Socio-Ecomonics
  • India has a complex social caste system, which is a fundamental part of Hinduism.  There are an estimated 6,400 castes, each separated from the others by social barriers. 
  • Literacy rate for males = 76%.  Literacy rate for females = 53%
  • Average annual income = $2,460 (PPP)
  • 87.5% of the population lives on less than $2.50 per day.  
  • The World  Bank estimates that 1/3 of the world's poor live in India.
Regional Dress 






Each region of India has a unique style of dress that the women wear.  In many areas, this dress consists of variations of the sari, but in the north, where I will be, women wear the salwar-kameez.  While modest western clothes are more acceptable in larger cities like Delhi, I will be expected to wear a salwar-kameez in the rural area where my hospital is located.








     Religion
    • 80% Hindu
    • 13% Muslim
    • 2% Christian
    • The Indian constitution defines religious freedom for all religions, but many Christians are persecuted by Hindu extremists. 
    Health
    • Average life expectancy = 66 years
    • About 1/2 of Indian children are malnourished
    • Only 47% of babies born are delivered by a skilled medical attendant
    • 1.5 million reported cases of malaria per year
    • 2.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS
    • Only 28% of people age 15-24 can identify 2 means of preventing the spread of HIV and reject 2 misconceptions of HIV transmission
    • Only 14% of pregnant women with HIV receive antiretroviral medications for preventing spread to fetus


    Information taken from Operation World, The CIA's World Factbook, and The World Health Organization.

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