The Indian subcontinent consists of 7 countries- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. But what if the entire Indian subcontinent was to be contained within a single political boundary? An explanatory video by the YouTube channel, Real Life Lore, imagined what it would be like.
For starters, the entire population of this newly formed country would boast of a massive 1.7 billion people. India, alone, is the world’s second most populous country, with whopping 1.3 billion citizens.
The new population will be equivalent to 23% of the entire world’s population.
Here are some more numbers and statistics about the hypothetical state.
1. The most populated cities in the hypothetical country would be Delhi, Karachi, and Mumbai.
Of the ten biggest cities, seven would be located in India, two in Pakistan, and just one in Bangladesh.
2. The country would have a dominant Hindi and Bengali speaking population.
33% of the population would be able to speak in Hindi, 15% in Bengali, 12% in Urdu, and Punjabi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Gujarati, banking on the remaining 40% of the population.
3. Around 34% of the new population would live in cities, while the remaining 66% would reside in rural areas.
4. The hypothetical country would have a nominal GDP of 3.4 trillion dollars.
This would make it the fifth largest economy. India, right now, holds the position for the seventh largest economy in the world.
5. The new army would have a force of 2.6 million soldiers on active duty, making it the largest standing army in the world.
2.1 million soldiers, further, would be on reserve. Combining both, it would become the 4th largest army in the world.
6. The unemployment rates would plague the country, with 10% of the population, or around 170 million people, being unemployed.
If the question ever crossed your mind, you now have the answer.
You can watch the full video here.