NEW DELHI, India — India ranks among the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence markets, particularly in coding, data analysis, and complex reasoning, according to U.S. tech company OpenAI.
The company said India is among the top five countries globally in per capita usage of advanced “thinking” capabilities, measured by reasoning tokens used by ChatGPT Plus users.
India is also one of the fastest-growing ecosystems for AI builders, with a fourfold increase in Codex users within just two weeks of the company’s Codex app launch in February 2026.
However, AI adoption in India remains heavily concentrated in a limited number of cities, with more advanced use even more unevenly distributed. OpenAI said this highlights a major opportunity to expand access beyond early adopters in leading urban centers.
“The central question now is how quickly the benefits of AI can extend beyond early adopers and leading cities to the wider population. Closing this gap will require expanding access, building skills, and enabling more meaningful use across the country, an effort shaped in large part by India’s young, fast-adopting population,” said Oliver Jay, Managing Director-International at OpenAI.
According to the company, the top 10 cities account for roughly 50 percent of AI users while representing less than 10 percent of the population, underscoring a significant concentration of advanced capabilities.
Delhi-NCR has the highest penetration of ChatGPT users in the country. Key AI hubs include Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Chennai, where capabilities are most concentrated.
Beyond these major cities, OpenAI noted that some of the most impactful AI use cases are emerging in sectors such as education and healthcare, showing how the technology is already being integrated into everyday life.
The report also highlighted sharp regional disparities in advanced use. Data analysis usage is up to 30 times higher in leading cities compared with lagging regions, while coding usage is four times higher and Codex developer usage is nine times higher. (Source: IANS)
