India vs Pakistan
India
Pakistan
| Metric | India | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | New Delhi | Islamabad |
| Population | 1,463,865,525 | 255,219,554 |
| Area (km²) | 3,287,263 | 881,912 |
| Population density (/km²) | 445 | 289 |
| GDP per capita (USD) | $2,700 | $1,600 |
| Region | Southern Asia | Southern Asia |
| Currency | INR | PKR |
| Languages | Hindi, English | Urdu, English |
| Main religions | Hinduism, Islam, Christianity | Islam |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 | UTC+5 |
Green highlights the higher value (or higher GDP per capita). Figures are approximate.
At a glance
India and Pakistan are both located in Asia (both in Southern Asia). India has the larger population — about 5.7× the population of Pakistan, while India covers more land area.
For full geographic detail, see the India map and the Pakistan map.
One subcontinent, divided in 1947
India and Pakistan were both part of British India until August 1947, when the subcontinent was partitioned along largely religious lines. Partition displaced somewhere between 10 and 20 million people and was accompanied by mass violence, especially in Punjab and Bengal, which were each split between the two new states. Pakistan originally had two wings; its eastern half became independent Bangladesh in 1971 (see Pakistan vs Bangladesh).
Since then the two countries have fought wars in 1947–48, 1965 and 1971, plus the Kargil conflict of 1999. Both have been nuclear-armed states since their 1998 tests.
Kashmir and the Line of Control
The former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir is the core dispute. India administers the largest share, Pakistan administers Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and China controls Aksai Chin. India regards the whole region as an integral part of its territory; Pakistan considers its status unresolved and calls for a plebiscite under UN resolutions. The de facto boundary between the Indian- and Pakistani-administered areas is the Line of Control.
Tensions escalated sharply in 2025: after a militant attack on tourists near Pahalgam in April, India said it was holding the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, and in May the two sides exchanged several days of missile and drone strikes before agreeing a ceasefire. Pakistan rejects India's position on the treaty. As of 2026, the treaty dispute remains unresolved.
Economy and scale
India's population is several times larger than Pakistan's and its economy is roughly ten times the size, with a large services and IT sector. Pakistan's economy depends more on agriculture, textiles and remittances, and has relied on repeated IMF programmes. Bilateral trade is very small for neighbours of this size, and has been further restricted since 2019.
Shared culture, limited travel
Spoken Hindi and Urdu are close enough to be mutually intelligible in everyday conversation, though they use different scripts (Devanagari and Perso-Arabic) and draw formal vocabulary from Sanskrit and Persian respectively. Punjabi food, music and poetry, Bollywood films and cricket are shared passions on both sides. Travel between the two is difficult: visas are restricted, and the Attari–Wagah land crossing near Amritsar and Lahore, best known for its daily flag-lowering ceremony, was closed to most travellers in 2025. There are no regular direct flights; the Delhi to Karachi page shows how short the distance actually is.
Frequently asked questions
- When did India and Pakistan become separate countries?
- Both became independent from British rule in August 1947, when British India was partitioned. Pakistan celebrates independence on 14 August and India on 15 August.
- Can you travel directly between India and Pakistan?
- Only with difficulty. Visas are restricted and there are no regular direct flights between the two countries, so most travellers who do get visas connect through a third country such as the UAE.
- Do people in India and Pakistan speak the same language?
- Everyday spoken Hindi and Urdu are largely mutually intelligible, but they are written in different scripts and their formal vocabularies differ. Punjabi is also spoken on both sides of the border.