Country Profile

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a rich cultural heritage. It has achieved great socio-economic progress since independence in 1947. India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production, and is now one of the top 10 industrialized countries in the world.

With a population of 1.15 billion, it is the world’s second most populous country, with a Christian population of 2.3 percent (Joshuaproject.net). It is believed that Christianity first arrived in India about 2000 years ago, and currently, about 2.3 percent of the population is Christian.

Needs

About two-thirds of India's more than 1 billion people live in rural areas, and almost 170 million of them are poor. Although many rural people are migrating to cities, three out of four of India's poor people live in the vast rural parts of the country. For more than 21 per cent of them, poverty is a chronic condition (Ruralpovertyportal.org). According to World Bank statistics, the number of Indians scraping by on less than 60 rupees a day (about US$1.20) is an astronomical 467 million, even though India’s poverty rate has dropped from 60 to 42 percent.

The age old caste system continues to keep the population divided (i.e. Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra and the Harijan or Dalits), and even today, the values of the caste system are still held strongly. There is also a huge tribal population which is marginalized and lives in acute poverty and illiteracy.

According to the latest UNAIDS figures, there are 2.4 million people living with HIV. It is also believed that India ranks second in the world in terms of estimates of all people (adults and children) with HIV infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS (Sitesatlas.com). As mentioned above, with about two-thirds of the population living in rural areas, medical facilities, as well as information on health, hygiene and diseases, are less accessible to this group.

Human trafficking is believed to be the third largest illicit industry in India after arms smuggling and drugs. In India, children’s vulnerabilities and exposure to violations of their rights remain widespread and multiple in nature. Trafficking of children also continues to be a serious problem in India, and children under 14 constitute around 3.6 percent of the total labor force in India (between 20 to 50 million) (Indianembassy.org and Childlabor.in). Women and girls are also trafficked for reasons such as prostitution and labor. Women in India are oppressed by family and society in general, and looked down upon. As a result, they do not realize that they can be free in Christ.