Why Only 3% Adult Indians Pay Income Tax

India has nearly 100 crore adults (people over 18), but less than 3% of them are income-tax payers. Is it evasion, exemption, or just how our tax system is built?

Explore the Data

Underlying data is available via Google Sheet.

Reference Links

• incometaxindia.gov.in
• https://incometaxindia.gov.in/Documents/Direct%20Tax%20Data/Final-Approved-Time-Series-Data-2023-24-English.pdf
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/indias-much-abused-taxpayers-you-dont-get-much-benefit-back-salaried-classes-get-the-short-end-of-the-stick/
• Revenue Budget 2025-25, International Survey of Revenue Administration, UN World Population Prospects 2024