India
How well is India respecting people's human rights?
Use the tabs below to explore the scores.
India at a glance
Quality of Life
Economic and Social Rights
(2021)
Summary score
67.1%
How well is India doing compared to what is possible at its level of income?
Right to
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Safety from the State
Civil and Political Rights
(2023)
Summary score
3.8
How well is India's government respecting each right?
Right to freedom from
0
Score
10
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Empowerment
Civil and Political Rights
(2023)
Summary score
3.2
How well is India's government respecting each right?
Right to
0
Score
10
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
Quality of Life
India scores 67.1% on Quality of Life when scored against the 'Income adjusted' benchmark.
Compared with the other countries in South Asia, India is performing lower than average on Quality of Life rights (this comparison is calculated using the 'Income adjusted' benchmark).
To change the performance benchmark or assessment standard, please click on ‘Switch view’ above
Safety from the State
India's Safety from the State score of 3.8 out of 10 suggests that many people are not safe from one or more of the following: arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution, or extrajudicial killing.
For civil and political rights, we don't have sufficient data across South Asia countries to allow for a regional comparison. However, when compared to the other countries in our sample, India is performing lower than average on the right to be safe from the state.
Empowerment
India's Empowerment score of 3.2 out of 10 suggests that many people are not enjoying their civil liberties and political freedoms (freedom of speech, assembly and association, democratic rights, and religion and belief).
For civil and political rights, we don't have sufficient data across South Asia countries to allow for a regional comparison. However, when compared to the other countries in our sample, India is performing lower than average on empowerment rights.
Quality of Life - overview
(2021)
How well is India doing compared to what is possible at its level of income?
Summary score
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
Quality of Life rights (or 'economic and social rights') include the rights to food, health, education, housing, and work. HRMI gives two scores, measuring against two different benchmarks.
India scores 67.1% on Quality of Life when scored against the 'Income adjusted' benchmark.This score takes into account India's resources and how well it is using them to make sure its people's Quality of Life rights are fulfilled.
This score tells us that India is only doing 67.1% of what should be possible right now with the resources it has. Since anything less than 100% indicates that a country is not meeting its current duty under international human rights law, our assessment is that India has a very long way to go to meet its immediate economic and social rights duty.
When measured against the Global best benchmark, comparing India to the best performing countries in the world, India's score is 63.4%, indicating that it has a very long way to go to meet current Global best standards for ensuring all people have adequate food, education, healthcare, housing and work.
Compared with the other countries in South Asia, India is performing lower than average on Quality of Life rights (this comparison is calculated using the 'Income adjusted' benchmark).
To change the performance benchmark or assessment standard, please click on ‘Switch view’ above
Quality of Life - full details
See more detail on how India performs on the
?Right to
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
By sex
How does India perform by sex for
?By sex
0
% of income adjusted benchmark achieved
HRMI score
100%
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
Over time
How does India perform over time for
?Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk
(2023)
Which people in India were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to education in 2023, our respondents mentioned all of the following:
- Tribal communities in Manipur and Nagaland
- Students, especially from tribal areas and denotified tribes
- Victims of ethnic violence in Manipur, especially Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities
- Adivasi people, especially women and children
- People from Dalit and Bahujan communities, especially women and girls
- Rural Dalit and Adivasi Christian communities
- There are reports of attacks on madrasas (Muslim religious school) in some parts of the country
- Muslim children are discriminated against in schools for wearing hijab
- People living in rural and remote areas, especially women and girls from conservative backgrounds
- People living in the North-Eastern states and Kashmir
- Children, especially street children, children of refugees and sex workers, those belonging to lower socio-economic groups, and those whose parents are landless labourers
- Refugees and stateless people
- People living in poverty, especially women and children
- People living in relief centres with no help from the government
- People affected by riots
- School dropout rates for girls remain high
- Education institutions and curricula are not inclusive or compatible for people with disabilities, especially in rural areas
- Large poverty rates persist despite government’s claims, adversely affecting the right to education
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which caste-based groups were especially at risk of not being able to enjoy this right:
- 74% said Other Dalit communities (such as Muslims or Christians)
- 68% said Scheduled Castes
- 32% said Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which Indigenous communities were especially at risk of not being able to enjoy this right:
- 71% said Scheduled Tribes
- 59% said Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs)
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which religious communities were especially at risk of not being able to enjoy this right:
- 50% said Muslims
- 29% said Christians
- 11% said Hindus
- 9% said Sikhs
- 9% said Buddhists
- 3% said Jains
Safety from the State - overview
(2023)
How well is India's government respecting each right?
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to freedom from
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
India's Safety from the State score of 3.8 out of 10 suggests that many people are not safe from one or more of the following: arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment, forced disappearance, execution, or extrajudicial killing.
For civil and political rights, we don't have sufficient data across South Asia countries to allow for a regional comparison. However, when compared to the other countries in our sample, India is performing lower than average on the right to be safe from the state.
Over time
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk
(2023)
Which people in India were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to arbitrary or political arrest and detention by government agents in 2023, our respondents mentioned all of the following:
- People from tribal communities, especially Adivasi people from the Central Belt, and people of nomadic and denotified tribes
- Indigenous peoples from North-Eastern states, especially activists and human rights defenders
- People from oppressed caste communities such as the Dalit and Bahujan communities, especially women, journalists, activists, human rights defenders, and political leaders
- People from Manipur, particularly in Meitei dominated areas in the Imphal valley where the state government has been accused of supporting the majority Meitei community against the Kuki-Zo communities during the ongoing ethnic violence
- Peaceful protests by Dalit groups, such as Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan, for land and forest protection led to arrests of its members and activists
- Christian communities, especially pastors and school principals who are accused of alleged religious conversions
- Muslims, especially refugees, men, boys, and those living in Assam and Uttar Pradesh
- Muslim people in Kashmir are vulnerable to military and police actions
- There are reports of Muslim people being penalised for praying, in both public and private spaces, and for interfaith marriages
- People from Sikh communities, especially activists and farmers
- People from Dalit and Muslim communities are arrested and often detained without trial or bail
- People who oppose Hindutva or the Hindu nationalist ideology, especially people from minority communities
- People who live near protest sites are reported to be arrested under false charges
- Activists and human rights defenders, especially from Jammu and Kashmir, North-Eastern states, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand, as well as women’s rights defenders
- Protesters, including university students, risk being detained under anti-terror laws
- Journalists, particularly independent journalists who are critical of the government, especially in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir, Manipur, and Madhya Pradesh
- Some journalists who report on sensitive matters, such as ethnic violence in Manipur, are arrested under anti-terror laws, especially the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
- Journalists, human rights defenders, and activists reporting human rights abuses risk being labelled ‘anti-national’ or engaged in ‘terrorist activities’ and having criminal charges framed under anti-terror laws and national security laws
- Social media posts critical of the government or political leaders are taken down and those making them are arrested and prosecuted
- Opposition party workers and leaders
- Agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Directorate of Enforcement, and the National Investigation Agency are used to arrest and detain those criticising or opposing the Bhartiya Janta Party government or the Prime Minister
- Students, human rights defenders, other protesters, and representatives of farmers, are detained pending trial for prolonged durations and often denied bail
- People living in areas with a high military presence, especially Kashmir and the North-Eastern states
- Human rights defenders, especially from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kashmir, Jharkhand, Odisha, Manipur, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra
- People living in areas affected by Naxalism
- Stateless people
- Migrants are harassed by police and non-state forces, especially in states with international borders
- Rohingya refugees
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which caste-based groups were especially at risk for violations of this right:
- 81% said Other Dalit communities (such as Muslims or Christians)
- 69% said Scheduled Castes
- 44% said Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which Indigenous communities were especially at risk for violations of this right:
- 58% said Scheduled Tribes
- 58% said Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs)
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which religious communities were especially at risk for violations of this right:
- 81% said Muslims
- 75% said Christians
- 47% said Sikhs
- 17% said Hindus
- 11% said Buddhists
- 3% said Jains
Empowerment - overview
(2023)
How well is India's government respecting each right?
Summary score
0
Score
10
Right to
Very bad
Bad
Fair
Good
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
India's Empowerment score of 3.2 out of 10 suggests that many people are not enjoying their civil liberties and political freedoms (freedom of speech, assembly and association, democratic rights, and religion and belief).
For civil and political rights, we don't have sufficient data across South Asia countries to allow for a regional comparison. However, when compared to the other countries in our sample, India is performing lower than average on empowerment rights.
Over time
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk
(2023)
Which people in India were identified by human rights experts to be particularly at risk of having their
violated?Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to assembly and association by the government or its agents in 2023, our respondents mentioned all of the following:
- Tribal communities in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh
- Tribal groups in Manipur, especially during the ethnic violence, where the government was accused of taking partisan action against the Kuki-Zo tribal communities
- Peaceful protests by Dalit groups such as Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan for land and forest rights have led to the arrests of its members and activists
- Arbitrary imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code by local governments leads to the right of assembly being restricted for all people- Any assembly that appears to challenge or oppose the current government is restricted
- Anyone who criticises the government, especially people from minority communities
- There are reports of local activists being abducted for trying to meet with the local community and organising protests in Odisha
- Human rights defenders are at risk of facing police and judicial action for expressing their opinions
- Strikes are prohibited and met with violence in many states, especially Uttar Pradesh
- Some sections of labourers are denied their trade union rights and those exercising these rights are reportedly harassed
- People in Kashmir, especially Muslim communities
- There are cases of excessive force being used during peaceful protests such as those in Ladakh and on the Punjab-Haryana border, including the use of smoke bombs, tear gas, firing shots, and beating with batons
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which caste-based groups were especially vulnerable to restrictions of this right:
- 74% said Other Dalit communities (such as Muslims or Christians)
- 63% said Scheduled Castes
- 42% said Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which Indigenous communities were especially vulnerable to restrictions of this right:
- 53% said Scheduled Tribes
- 50% said Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs)
When we asked survey respondents to provide more information about which religious communities were especially vulnerable to restrictions of this right:
- 74% said Muslims
- 61% said Christians
- 37% said Sikhs
- 21% said Buddhists
- 5% said Hindus
- 5% said Jains
Which people are most at risk?
We asked human rights experts to choose from a list of options for which people were particularly at risk of having this right violated. The images below show their answers.
Highlight
in the word clouds below.Quality of Life
People at risk for
Right to education
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk for
Right to food
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk for
Right to health
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk for
Right to housing
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk for
Right to work
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
Safety from the State
People at risk for
Right to freedom from arbitrary arrest
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk for
Right to freedom from forced disappearance
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk for
Right to freedom from the death penalty
Expert respondents didn’t select any group of people for this right.
People at risk for
Right to freedom from extrajudicial execution
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk for
Right to freedom from torture and ill-treatment
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
Empowerment
People at risk for
Right to assembly and association
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.
Source: HRMI 2024 rightstracker.org
People at risk for
Right to opinion and expression
(2023)
Interpretation: Larger text = more human rights experts identified this group as being at risk.