How many states are in India?

The classroom answer students type first is simple: India has 28 states and 8 union territories — 36 units in all. That count is the one to write in 2026 board and SSC papers. Older keys that still say 29 states are leftover from the years when Jammu and Kashmir was a state.

Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014 and remains the newest state. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act turned the former state into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — with effect from 31 October 2019. That is why the state tally dropped from 29 to 28.

The eight UTs are Delhi (NCT), Chandigarh, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. We do not invent a 29th state or a ninth UT. Capitals and High Courts are a separate drill — they are not always the same city.

Key points

1. Current map (September 2026 classroom): 28 states + 8 union territories.
2. Newest state: Telangana, 2 June 2014, formed from Andhra Pradesh.
3. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been UTs since 31 October 2019.
4. Do not write “29 states” unless the question is clearly pre-2019 history.
5. Largest state by area: Rajasthan. Smallest state by area: Goa.
6. Most populous state on Census 2011 figures: Uttar Pradesh. Least populous state: Sikkim (standard textbook).
7. National capital: New Delhi, inside the National Capital Territory of Delhi (a UT, not a state).
8. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were merged into one UT (26 January 2020 is the date commonly taught).
9. Article 1: India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States. The First Schedule lists the units.
10. Sikkim became a state in 1975 — a frequent “how did the number grow” question.
11. Goa became a full state in 1987 (separated from the earlier UT with Daman and Diu) — standard text.
12. States have legislatures and (usually) a High Court; UTs are administered under the Union, with special cases such as Delhi and Puducherry.
13. Andhra Pradesh–Telangana shared Hyderabad as capital for a period after 2014; Amaravati is the planned Andhra capital — check the latest official note if a paper asks the current seat.
14. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are often taught with winter/summer seats; exams usually want the main/winter capital.
15. We do not invent 2026 census state-wise population ranks. Use Census 2011 or a labelled estimate.
16. International borders belong to the Union; coastal states still do not get a second time zone.
17. North-East “Seven Sisters” is a popular phrase for seven states; Sikkim is often taught as the brother state — phrase, not a legal list.
18. If a question says “states only”, do not count Delhi or J&K as states.
19. Related search: neighbouring countries, Tropic of Cancer (eight states), official languages.
20. State GK pages on this site cover capitals and High Courts one state at a time.
21. Reorganisation of states in 1956 (States Reorganisation Act, language basis) is the big historical reset.
22. Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand were created in 2000 — a common trio in exams.
23. No live news about a new state in 2026 is recorded here.
24. Always match the year in the question: 2013 papers can still expect 28 states plus J&K as a state — read the date.

How many states are in India? — facts (2026)

Exam tip: If the option set still shows 29, look at the year of the paper. After 31 October 2019 the safe answer is 28 + 8.

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