India

Council of States

Political system: Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament: Bicameral
IPU membership: Yes

About parliament

Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.

Parliament name: Sansad (Parliament)
Chamber name: Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
Structure & status of parliament: Upper chamber
Parliamentary term (years): 6

Notes: One-third of the membership is renewed every 2 years at various dates
Frequency of renewal (years): 2

IPU membership

Affiliation periods: from 1949
IPU Geopolitical Group/s: Asia-Pacific Group

Speaker

Official title: Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
Speaker: Jagdeep Dhankar (Male)
Date of birth: 18 May 1951
Term: 11 Aug 2022
Additional information: The Vice-President of the Republic

Speaker terms

No information available

Secretary general

Official title: Secretary General
Secretary General: Pramod Chandra Mody (Male)
Term: 12 Nov 2021
Notes: Appointed on 12 Nov. 2021.

Members

Statutory number of members: 245

Notes:
Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories.

Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
Principal mode of designation of members: Indirectly elected
Indirectly elected members: 233
Appointed members: 12
Current number of members: 234
Men: 195
Women: 39
Percentage of women: 16.7%
Statutory number of members per country: 790
Population (in thousands): 1,438,070
Inhabitants per parliamentarian: 1,820,342

Age

Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.

Average age of all members: 61.0

(2024-01 - 2024-06)

Youngest member: Raghav Chadha (Male)
Youngest member (years): 35

Oldest member: H.D. Devegowda (Male)
Oldest member (years): 91

Number of members, by age (2024-01)

Breakdown of members by age and gender
	18 - 20	21 - 30	31 - 40	41 - 45	46 - 50	51 - 60	61 - 70	71 - 80	81 - 90	91 and over	Totals per gender
Male	0	0	4	14	12	57	66	33	5	1	192
Female	0	0	2	3	6	14	10	3	1	0	39
Totals per age interval	0	0	6	17	18	71	76	36	6	1	231
	Total <= 45: 23				Total >= 46: 208

Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal	Overall	Male	Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger	2.6%	2%	0.9%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger	10.0%	8%	2.2%

Members for whom data is available: 231

(2024)
Members for whom age data is not available: 3

(2024-01 - 2024-06)

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups: No
Electoral quota for women: No

Sources: Article 80 of the Constitution of India, which deals with the composition of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), provides for the nomination of 12 members by the President.
Youth quota: No

Links to additional information

Parliamentary website: https://sansad.in/rs
List of members: https://sansad.in/rs/members
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders: http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/rs_rule/rules7th.pdf
Constitution: https://hindi.webdunia.com/samayik/samvidhan/index.htm

Updated at	Parliamentary term (years)	Notes
2024-07	6	One-third of the membership is renewed every 2 years at various dates
2013-01	6	Parliamentary term: 6 years; one-third of the membership is renewed every 2 years at various dates

Updated at	Current number of members
2024-09	234
2024-06	226
2024-05	240
2024-02	238
2023-06	238
2022-12	239
2022-08	237
2022-03	236
2021-12	237
2020-11	241
2020-06	243
2019-12	240
2018-12	244
2018-06	237
2017-01	244
2016-12	245
2016-06	244
2016-03	241
2014-03	243
2014-02	241
2012-07	245
2012-02	238
2012-01	245
2010-01	242
2009-01	233
2007-01	243
2006-07	242
2005-01	245
2004-06	242
1999-01	245
1998-01	220
1988-01	245
1976-01	244
1972-01	243
1968-01	240
1964-01	238
1960-01	236
1956-01	232
1954-01	219
1952-01	216

Updated at	Men
2024-09	195
2024-06	188
2024-05	201
2024-02	206
2024-01	206
2023-12	207
2023-06	205
2022-12	206
2022-08	204
2022-03	207
2021-12	208
2020-11	214
2020-06	218
2019-12	215
2018-12	216

Updated at	Women
2024-09	39
2024-06	38
2024-05	39
2024-02	32
2024-01	32
2023-12	31
2022-08	33
2021-12	29
2020-11	27
2019-12	25
2018-12	28
2018-06	27
2018-03	29
2016-06	27
2016-03	29
2014-11	31
2014-03	29
2014-01	28
2012-07	26
2012-02	24
2012-01	26
2010-01	25
2009-01	21
2008-01	23
2007-01	24
2006-07	26
2004-06	28
2002-01	25
2000-01	22
1996-01	19
1994-01	20
1992-01	17
1990-01	24
1986-01	25
1984-01	28
1982-01	24
1980-01	29
1978-01	25
1976-01	24
1974-01	17
1972-01	18
1970-01	14
1968-01	22
1966-01	23
1964-01	21
1962-01	18
1960-01	24
1958-01	22
1956-01	20
1954-01	17
1952-01	15

Updated at	Percentage of women
2024-09	16.7%
2024-06	16.8%
2024-05	16.3%
2024-02	13.4%
2024-01	13.4%
2023-12	13.0%
2023-06	13.9%
2022-12	13.8%
2022-08	13.9%
2022-03	12.3%
2021-12	12.2%
2020-11	11.2%
2020-06	10.3%
2019-12	10.4%
2018-12	11.5%
2018-06	11.4%
2018-03	11.9%
2017-01	11.1%
2016-12	11.0%
2016-06	11.1%
2016-03	12.0%
2014-11	12.8%
2014-03	11.9%
2014-02	11.6%
2014-01	11.4%
2012-07	10.6%
2012-02	10.1%
2012-01	10.6%
2010-01	10.3%
2009-01	9.0%
2008-01	9.5%
2007-01	9.9%
2006-07	10.7%
2005-01	11.4%
2004-06	11.6%
2002-01	10.2%
2000-01	9.0%
1999-01	7.8%
1998-01	8.6%
1996-01	7.8%
1994-01	8.2%
1992-01	6.9%
1990-01	9.8%
1988-01	10.2%
1986-01	10.2%
1984-01	11.5%
1982-01	9.8%
1980-01	11.9%
1978-01	10.2%
1976-01	9.8%
1974-01	7.0%
1972-01	7.4%
1970-01	5.8%
1968-01	9.2%
1966-01	9.7%
1964-01	8.8%
1962-01	7.6%
1960-01	10.2%
1958-01	9.5%
1956-01	8.6%
1954-01	7.8%
1952-01	6.9%

India

Council of States

About parliament

IPU membership

Speaker

Speaker terms

Secretary general

Members

Age

Number of members, by age (2024-01)

Reserved seats and quotas

Links to additional information

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for Parliamentary term (years)

Historical data for Speaker

Historical data for Statutory number of members

Historical data for Current number of members

Historical data for Men

Historical data for Women

Historical data for Percentage of women

Historical data for Statutory number of members per country

Historical data for Population (in thousands)

Historical data for Inhabitants per parliamentarian

Historical data for Average age of all members

Historical data for Members for whom data is available

Historical data for Youngest member

Historical data for Oldest member

Historical data for Breakdown of members by age and sex

Updated at	Statutory number of members	Notes
2022-08	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2020-11	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2019-12	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2019-01	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2018-12	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2018-06	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2018-04	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2017-08	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2017-03	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2016-12	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2016-10	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2015-01	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2014-02	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2013-01	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2012-02	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2011-01	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2010-03	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.
2005-01	245	Indirectly elected members: elected by the legislative assemblies of the states and union territories. Appointed members: nominated by the Head of State.

Updated at	Population (in thousands)
2023-01	1,438,070
2022-01	1,425,423
2021-01	1,414,204
2015-01	1,309,054
2014-01	1,293,859
2013-01	1,278,562
2012-01	1,263,066
2011-01	1,247,236
2010-01	1,230,981
2009-01	1,214,270
2008-01	1,197,147
2007-01	1,179,681
2006-01	1,161,978
2005-01	1,144,119
2004-01	1,126,136
2003-01	1,108,028
2002-01	1,089,807
2001-01	1,071,478
2000-01	1,053,051
1999-01	1,034,539
1998-01	1,015,974
1997-01	997,405
1996-01	978,893
1995-01	960,483
1994-01	942,204
1993-01	924,058
1992-01	906,021
1991-01	888,055
1990-01	870,133
1989-01	852,270
1988-01	834,489
1987-01	816,793
1986-01	799,181
1985-01	781,667
1984-01	764,245
1983-01	746,949
1982-01	729,868
1981-01	713,118
1980-01	696,784
1979-01	680,916
1978-01	665,502
1977-01	650,485
1976-01	635,772
1975-01	621,302
1974-01	607,050
1973-01	593,059
1972-01	579,412
1971-01	566,225
1970-01	553,579
1969-01	541,505
1968-01	529,967
1967-01	518,890
1966-01	508,162
1965-01	497,702
1964-01	487,485
1963-01	477,528
1962-01	467,853
1961-01	458,495
1960-01	449,481
1959-01	440,814
1958-01	432,482
1957-01	424,461
1956-01	416,729
1955-01	409,269
1954-01	402,077
1953-01	395,160
1952-01	388,539
1951-01	382,245
1950-01	376,325
1949-01	No information available
1945-01	376,325

Updated at	Inhabitants per parliamentarian
2023-01	1,820,342
2022-08	1,804,333
2022-01	1,804,333
2021-01	1,790,132
2020-11	1,657,030
2019-12	1,657,030
2019-01	1,657,030
2018-12	1,657,030
2018-06	1,657,030
2018-04	1,657,030
2017-08	1,657,030
2017-03	1,657,030
2016-12	1,657,030
2016-10	1,657,030
2015-01	1,657,030
2014-02	1,637,796
2014-01	1,637,796
2013-01	1,618,433
2012-02	1,598,818
2012-01	1,598,818
2011-01	1,578,780
2010-03	1,558,204
2010-01	1,558,204
2009-01	1,537,051
2008-01	1,515,376
2007-01	1,493,267
2006-01	1,470,858
2005-01	1,448,252

Updated at	Members for whom data is available
2024-01	231
2022-03	239
2020-09	No information available
2018-07	204
2016-06	239
2014-11	234

	18 - 20	21 - 30	31 - 40	41 - 45	46 - 50	51 - 60	61 - 70	71 - 80	81 - 90	91 and over	Totals per gender
Male	0	0	3	10	15	66	68	37	6	0	205
Female	0	0	0	5	10	8	9	2	0	0	34
Totals per age interval	0	0	3	15	25	74	77	39	6	0	239
	Total <= 45: 18				Total >= 46: 221

	18 - 20	21 - 30	31 - 40	41 - 45	46 - 50	51 - 60	61 - 70	71 - 80	81 - 90	91 and over	Totals per gender
Male	0	0	0	7	14	45	77	38	6	0	187
Female	0	0	1	1	0	10	2	3	0	0	17
Totals per age interval	0	0	1	8	14	55	79	41	6	0	204
	Total <= 45: 9				Total >= 46: 195

	18 - 20	21 - 30	31 - 40	41 - 45	46 - 50	51 - 60	61 - 70	71 - 80	81 - 90	91 and over	Totals per gender
Male	0	0	4	6	17	52	87	41	7	1	215
Female	0	0	2	3	3	9	5	2	0	0	24
Totals per age interval	0	0	6	9	20	61	92	43	7	1	239
	Total <= 45: 15				Total >= 46: 224

Historical data for Statutory number of members per country
Updated at	Statutory number of members per country
2022-08	790
2020-11	790
2019-12	790
2019-06	790
2019-04	790
2019-01	790
2018-12	790
2018-06	790
2018-04	790
2017-08	790
2017-03	790
2017-01	790
2016-12	790
2016-10	790
2015-01	790
2014-12	790
2014-06	790
2014-04	790
2014-02	790
2013-01	790
2012-02	790
2011-01	790
2010-03	790
2010-01	790
2009-05	790
2009-04	790
2009-01	790
2005-01	790

India

Council of States

About parliament

IPU membership

Speaker See historical data for this field

Speaker terms

Secretary general

Members

Age

Number of members, by age (2024-01) See historical data for this field

Reserved seats and quotas

Links to additional information

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for Parliamentary term (years)

Historical data for Speaker

Historical data for Statutory number of members

Historical data for Current number of members

Historical data for Men

Historical data for Women

Historical data for Percentage of women

Historical data for Statutory number of members per country

Historical data for Population (in thousands)

Historical data for Inhabitants per parliamentarian

Historical data for Average age of all members

Historical data for Members for whom data is available

Historical data for Youngest member

Historical data for Oldest member

Historical data for Breakdown of members by age and sex

Speaker

Number of members, by age (2024-01)