Statsguru: Six charts show hits and misses after India's independence

India's per capita gross domestic product (GDP) rose from less than $100 in 1960 to over $2,200 in 2021

India had fewer than 120,000 telephone connections in 1947 for a country of 350 million people. This works out to fewer than four telephones for every 10,000 people. The mobile phone revolution has meant that connections are now close to the population number (chart 1).

The per capita electricity consumption was 16 kilowatt-hours in 1947. One kilowatt-hour is the electricity required to power a single 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours. Per capita electricity consumption rose to over 1,200 kilowatt-hours in 2020 (chart 2).

There has also been a significant improvement in other indicators such as literacy. Four out of five Indians