West Bengal: population, poverty, income, health, schools and budgets

West Bengal is a state of India, number 4 of 36 by population. West Bengal is projected to have 100,631,000 residents on 1 July 2026, 7.1% of India's 1.4 billion; 4th largest of 36 states and union territories. India has not counted its people since the 2011 census, so this is the official projection made from it by the Technical Group on Population Projections.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in West Bengal: Net state domestic product per person, the usual measure of average income, was ₹163,467 in 2024-25 at current prices; 9th lowest of 25 with figures. Five years earlier it was ₹110,316, a rise of 48% before inflation.
• Health in West Bengal: Life expectancy at birth in West Bengal was 72.5 years in 2019-23 (71.1 for men, 74.0 for women), against 70.3 for India; 7th longest of 22 with figures.
• Education in West Bengal: The gross enrolment ratio for secondary school (classes 9 to 12) was 75.2% in 2024-25, a measure of how many teenagers of that age are enrolled (all-India: 68.5%; 17th highest of 36). It was 80.6% for girls and 70.0% for boys.
• Poverty and living standards in West Bengal: 11.9% of people in West Bengal were multidimensionally poor in 2019-21, down from 21.3% in 2015-16, by NITI Aayog's national index (all-India: 14.96%). That counts people deprived in health, schooling and living standards such as cooking fuel, sanitation, housing and bank accounts; 13th highest of 36.
• Government budget and revenue in West Bengal: The state government budgeted ₹175,474 crore for social sectors such as education, health, housing and welfare in 2024-25, and expected ₹102,349 crore from its own taxes (budget estimate).

How states are governed in India

States (28) and union territories (8). Elected state assembly and chief minister; governor appointed by the President. Most union territories are run by an administrator or lieutenant governor appointed by the President.. Local government is a state subject: each state writes its own panchayat and municipal laws.

Every tier of government in India

Other states of India

• Uttar Pradesh 243,466,000
• Bihar 132,850,000
• Maharashtra 129,584,000
• Madhya Pradesh 89,965,000
• Rajasthan 83,879,000
• Tamil Nadu 77,582,000
• Gujarat 74,343,000
• Karnataka 69,074,000
• Andhra Pradesh 53,740,000
• Odisha 44,699,000
• Jharkhand 41,108,000
• Telangana 38,665,000
• Assam 36,815,000
• Kerala 36,239,000
• Haryana 31,409,000
• Punjab 31,370,000
• Chhattisgarh 31,311,000
• Delhi 22,674,000
• Jammu and Kashmir 13,927,000
• Uttarakhand 12,028,000
• Himachal Pradesh 7,588,000
• Tripura 4,268,000
• Meghalaya 3,447,000
• Manipur 3,318,000
• Nagaland 2,299,000
• Puducherry 1,771,000
• Arunachal Pradesh 1,608,000
• Goa 1,601,000
• Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 1,593,000
• Mizoram 1,275,000
• Chandigarh 1,270,000
• Sikkim 709,000
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands 406,000
• Ladakh 306,000
• Lakshadweep 70,000

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Sources

• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 14: State-wise Children Aged 6-59 Months who are Anaemic, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 88b94ba8796f…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 15: State-wise Pregnant Women Aged 15-49 Years who are Anaemic, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 10416e5dd5f9…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 180: State-wise Gender-wise Enrolments under Atal Pension Yojana (APY), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c9b0eeab4f9d…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 2: State-wise Birth Rate, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cb64c147ca84…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 153: State-wise Credit-Deposit Ratio of Scheduled Commercial Banks - According to Place of Sanction, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 536e5d4415d4…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 108: State-wise Average Inflation (CPI) - General, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1dd5a612f16c…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 176: State-wise Composition of Outstanding Liabilities, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 df4d117b3949…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 16: State-wise Health Infrastructure - Doctors and Specialists (Rural Health Statistics, 31 March 2023), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2e055836b4d9…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 62: State-wise Production of Total Foodgrains, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7674a11e229b…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 1: State-wise Gross Enrolment Ratio, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 58fb80d7f1d3…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 164: State-wise Gross Fiscal Deficit, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5e1a742f710e…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 21: Gross State Domestic Product (Current Prices), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 307860e934ba…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 18: State-wise Public Expenditure on Health, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 264dafcd814a…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 17: State-wise Number of Government Hospitals and Beds, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 86c53d763e42…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 4: State-wise Infant Mortality Rate, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7f5e2e5b7d62…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 170: State-wise Interest Payments, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 615f96758e43…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 7: State-wise Life Expectancy, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2d87cfcb6759…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 91: State-wise Milk Production, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3607285ce982…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 5: State-wise Maternal Mortality Ratio, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 43c67ae2dca5…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 10: State-wise Poverty Estimates - Multi-dimensional Poverty Index, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c0d6483061a8…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 168: State-wise Own Tax Revenue, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b25a8b6f2ff7…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 19: Per Capita Net State Domestic Product (Current Prices), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1f90818b79f1…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 20: Per Capita Net State Domestic Product (Constant Prices), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0861a3b6a0df…)
• National Commission on Population, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036 (Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections), Table 11: projected total population on 1 July, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9a9031c9c75d…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 138: State-wise Per Capita Availability of Power, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3004b58b5f81…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 151: State-wise Number of Schools by Management and Availability of Functional Computer Facility, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7b2618ed9a70…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 106: State-wise Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Score, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f18c2f57a295…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 175: State-wise Social Sector Expenditure, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6b8f611c50f5…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 49: Gross State Value Added by Economic Activity - Services (Current Prices), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 231843665df0…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 148: State-wise Electricity Transmission & Distribution Losses, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7ba079aa2389…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 13: State-wise Domestic Tourist Visits, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 14ecc37284d7…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 9: State-wise Unemployment Rate: Usual Status (Adjusted) (Urban), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4eef6c004595…)
• Reserve Bank of India: Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 113: State-wise Average Daily Wage Rates in Rural India (Men - General Agricultural Labourers), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6f4995aec2fa…)

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