Self-reported life satisfaction in India
India: Self-reported life satisfaction was 4.54 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-reported life satisfaction in India, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, self-reported life satisfaction in India stood at 4.54.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-reported life satisfaction in India peaked at 4.97 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 3.57, in 2019.
That places India 118th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Self-reported life satisfaction in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4.97 | — |
| 2012 | 4.77 | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 4.57 | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 4.4 | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 4.32 | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 4.19 | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 4.01 | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 3.57 | -11.0% |
| 2020 | 3.82 | +6.9% |
| 2021 | 3.78 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 4.04 | +6.9% |
| 2023 | 4.05 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 4.39 | +8.3% |
| 2025 | 4.54 | +3.3% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 4.54 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.63, 98% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- India's 4.54 is above the median for South Asia, which is 4.54, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.35 | 3.57 | 4.97 | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.1 | 3.78 | 4.54 | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More social development data for India
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 238,643 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,610 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,610 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-reported life satisfaction in India?
- Self-reported life satisfaction in India was 4.54 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 4.97 in 2011.
- What is the lowest self-reported life satisfaction recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.57 in 2019.
- How does India rank for self-reported life satisfaction?
- India ranks 118th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-reported life satisfaction rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Self-reported life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.