As of 2026, India has 28 states and 8 Union Territories (UTs). That means India currently has 36 state-and-Union-Territory-level administrative divisions altogether. The Ministry of Home Affairs lists 28 states and eight Union Territories.
Personally, I think this is one of those GK questions where many of us still automatically remember “29 states” from school. That answer used to be correct, but India's administrative structure changed in 2019. So whenever I come across questions like this, I prefer checking the current government data rather than relying entirely on what I memorized years ago.
States & UT Count
The current structure is straightforward:
Administrative division | Number |
|---|---|
States | 28 |
Union Territories | 8 |
Total | 36 |
For an exam or general-knowledge question asking only “How many states are there in India?”, the answer is 28 states.
Don't add the eight Union Territories to this number unless the question specifically asks for both.
28 States
India's 28 states are:
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
Each state has its own elected government operating within India's federal constitutional system.
8 Union Territories
India currently has eight Union Territories:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry.
An interesting detail is that Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir have legislative assemblies, while the other five UTs do not.
So Union Territories aren't all administratively identical.
Why the Number Changed
If you remember India having 29 states, you're remembering the pre-2019 structure.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, reorganized the former State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories:
Jammu and Kashmir → Union Territory with legislature
Ladakh → Union Territory without legislature
The change took effect on 31 October 2019.
This reduced India's number of states from 29 to 28.
Another change followed in January 2020 when Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were merged into a single Union Territory.
Personally, the easiest memory trick for me would be: India had 29 states → J&K was reorganized → 28 states.
State vs. UT
The main difference lies in administration and constitutional status.
States have their own governments with powers distributed between the Union and states under India's federal system.
Union Territories are administered by the President through an appointed Administrator or Lieutenant Governor under Article 239, although some UTs also have elected legislatures.
So calling a Union Territory simply a “small state” isn't technically correct.
FAQs
How many states are there in India in 2026?
India has 28 states.
How many Union Territories does India have?
India has eight Union Territories.
Does India have 28 or 29 states?
India currently has 28 states. The number became 28 following the 2019 reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir.
How many states and UTs are there altogether?
There are 36 altogether: 28 states + 8 Union Territories.
Is Delhi a state?
No. Delhi is the National Capital Territory (NCT), a Union Territory with a legislature.
Must Read: What are the capitals of all states in India
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