The enormity of the Indian electorate and its State-wise variances | Data Premium

India gears up for general elections with 97 crore eligible voters, showcasing its status as the world’s largest electoral democracy.

With 97 crore voters eligible to register their mandate in the general elections later this year, India will yet again go through a process confirming its status as the world’s largest electoral democracy. The electorate will register a 6% rise this year in comparison to the number of eligible voters in 2019.

India’s 28 States and eight Union Territories are home to a large number of voters comparable to some of the world’s biggest nation-states.

Map 1 | The map shows the countries whose electorate numbers come close to those of the States in India, with the name of the country printed over the respective State.

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For example, the electorate size of Uttar Pradesh (14.6 crore) is comparable to that of the world’s seventh most populous country — Brazil. Maharashtra’s and Bihar’s electorates match those of Mexico and the Philippines, respectively. Even Goa’s electorate size compares well with that of Bahrain and Cyprus.

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There is also significant variance State-wise in the number of electors that the winning Member of Parliament represented in the Lok Sabha from 2019 to 2024. While an elected MP from Delhi, on average, represented 20.5 lakh voters, an MP from Uttar Pradesh represented 18.3 lakh voters, from Andhra Pradesh 15.8 lakh voters, and Tamil Nadu 15.4 lakh voters, the corresponding numbers for Kerala and Tripura were 13.1 lakh each.