OpenAI confirmed that ChatGPT has surpassed 100 million weekly active users in India. This milestone positions India as the company’s biggest user base outside the US and underscores the country’s growing influence in the global AI ecosystem.
The rapid adoption reflects India’s expanding internet penetration, strong developer community, startup ecosystem, and a large young population comfortable with digital tools.
According to OpenAI’s latest announcement, users aged 18–24 account for 50% of all messages sent to ChatGPT in India. In comparison, the global average for the same age group is around 33%.
Additionally, users aged 18–34 now represent around 80% of all consumer messages originating in India, demonstrating that younger demographics are the primary drivers of AI adoption in the country.
This youth-led engagement has amplified education-focused and early-career use cases, as students and young professionals increasingly turn to AI for learning, career development, and creative expression.
OpenAI noted that most messages from younger users revolve around practical guidance, technical assistance, and self-expression. Students often use ChatGPT for academic support, exam preparation, and skill-building, while early-career professionals rely on it for drafting emails, preparing presentations, and learning new technologies.
Ronnie Chatterji, Chief Economist at OpenAI, commented on the pace of AI adoption in the country:
“AI adoption is moving faster than our ability to measure it - and that’s a challenge for anyone trying to make smart decisions. Signals is our way of putting real-world evidence on the table, so India’s AI debate can be grounded in facts, not hype.”
His remarks underline the importance of data-driven policymaking as India debates AI regulation, innovation frameworks, and workforce readiness.
OpenAI’s data indicates that 35% of all consumer messages to ChatGPT in India are work-related, which is higher than the global average of around 30%.
This suggests that Indian users are increasingly integrating AI into professional workflows. At work, users primarily depend on ChatGPT for:
Editing and refining documents
Technical troubleshooting
Debugging code
Automating repetitive tasks
Speeding up daily workflows
Outside professional settings, nearly 35% of ChatGPT usage in India is focused on seeking practical guidance. Meanwhile, general information queries and writing tasks each account for about 20% of usage.
This diversified usage pattern highlights how AI tools are becoming embedded in everyday life—from planning trips and managing finances to brainstorming creative ideas.
OpenAI revealed that India’s usage of ChatGPT for technical tasks significantly exceeds the global average.
Compared to worldwide patterns, India shows:
4x higher usage of ChatGPT's data analysis tool among Plus and Pro users
3x higher usage of Codex for coding-related tasks
3x higher likelihood of asking coding-related questions
This reflects India’s large software developer base and strong engineering education ecosystem.
OpenAI also reported that India is the fastest-growing market for its coding assistant Codex, which has experienced a fourfold increase in weekly active users over the past two weeks.
The surge suggests that developers, startups, and tech professionals are rapidly adopting AI-assisted programming tools to accelerate development cycles and improve productivity.
For coding-related tasks, Telangana leads ChatGPT usage in India, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
These states are home to major technology hubs such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai, which host a concentration of IT companies, startups, and engineering talent.
India’s rapid ChatGPT adoption aligns with broader national efforts to expand digital infrastructure, promote AI innovation, and strengthen startup ecosystems. With increasing government focus on digital public infrastructure and AI research initiatives, the country is positioning itself as a major AI consumer and developer market.
The youthful demographic advantage—combined with strong English proficiency and a large STEM workforce—has accelerated AI experimentation and mainstream adoption.
OpenAI’s latest data underscores India’s emergence as a global AI powerhouse. With ChatGPT surpassing 100 million weekly active users and 18–24-year-olds driving 50% of all messages, the country’s young population is leading the AI transformation.
The high percentage of work-related usage and above-average technical adoption further demonstrate that ChatGPT in India is not merely a novelty tool but a serious productivity engine. The rapid growth of Codex and coding-related queries highlights the country’s strong developer ecosystem.
As AI adoption continues to accelerate, India’s role in shaping global AI trends—both as a user base and as a talent hub—is likely to expand significantly in the coming years.