Data caveats

Every limitation we know about, layer by layer. These are the same notes that appear on the layer inside the app — published in full here so you can check them before deciding whether an indicator supports the claim you want to make.

Method and cross-cutting limitations are on the methodology page. Last updated August 2026.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5)

2019–21 · 25 indicators · new districts: inherited from parent district

Nationwide survey on health, nutrition, family planning, and gender indicators across all districts.

Child Stunting

Height-for-age below −2 SD (WHO Child Growth Standard).

Child Wasting

Weight-for-height below −2 SD (WHO Child Growth Standard).

Child Underweight

Weight-for-age below −2 SD (WHO Child Growth Standard).

Child Anaemia

Haemoglobin below 11.0 g/dL for children 6–59 months (WHO threshold).

Women Anaemia

Haemoglobin below 12.0 g/dL for non-pregnant women 15–49 (WHO threshold).

Full Vaccination

Includes card-verified and mother's recall.

Institutional Births

Covers births in the 5 years before survey.

Improved Sanitation

"Improved" per WHO/JMP classification.

Clean Cooking Fuel

LPG, biogas, or electric — excludes solid fuels.

Health Insurance

Includes government schemes like Ayushman Bharat.

Drinking Water

"Improved" per WHO/JMP classification.

Electricity Access

Measures access, not hours of supply.

Iodized Salt

Tested with rapid test kit during household visit.

Women Literacy

Completed std 9+ or can read a whole/partial sentence.

Women 10+ Yr Schooling

Women age 15–49 with 10+ completed years of schooling.

Child Marriage

Retrospective — women 20–24 who married before age 18.

Teen Pregnancy

Women 15–19 who were mothers or pregnant at time of survey.

Menstrual Hygiene

Women 15–24 using sanitary napkins, tampons, or menstrual cups.

4+ Antenatal Visits

Covers last birth in 5 years before survey.

C-Section Rate

Diverging scale — both very low and very high rates signal issues.

Exclusive Breastfeeding

Infants under 6 months exclusively breastfed at time of survey.

ORS for Diarrhoea

Children with diarrhoea in 2 weeks before survey who received ORS.

Male Hypertension

Systolic ≥ 140 or diastolic ≥ 90 mmHg, or on medication.

Male Diabetes

Random blood glucose > 140 mg/dL, or on medication.

Male Tobacco Use

Any form — smoking, chewing, or snuff.

Census 2011

2011 · 14 indicators · new districts: area-proportional estimate

Decennial census by the Registrar General of India covering demographics, literacy, employment, and housing.

Population

New districts use area-proportional estimates.

Households

New districts use area-proportional estimates.

Literacy

Counts population aged 7+ only.

Children

New districts use area-proportional estimates.

Scheduled Castes

SC lists vary by state — not all communities recognized nationwide.

Scheduled Tribes

ST lists vary by state — not all communities recognized nationwide.

Worker Participation

Includes main and marginal workers.

Cultivators

Includes both owner-farmers and tenant farmers.

Agricultural Laborers

Landless wage workers on others' farms.

Other Workers

Residual category — industry, services, trade, etc.

Sex Ratio

National average ~940; below 900 signals severe imbalance.

Child Sex Ratio (0–6)

Below 900 may indicate sex-selective practices.

Female Literacy Gap

Gap = male literacy rate minus female literacy rate.

Female Work Gap

Includes main and marginal workers.

Agricultural Census 2015-16

2015–16 · 11 indicators · new districts: inherited from parent district

Decennial census of agricultural holdings covering tenancy, land use, and cropping patterns across all districts.

Average Holding Size

Operational holdings (who farms), not ownership. 134 districts inherit parent values.

Marginal Farmers (%)

Holdings below 1 Ha. ~68% of India's holdings are marginal (Ag Census 2015-16).

Agricultural Intensity

Net sown area as share of district area. Excludes forests and wastelands.

Fallow Ratio

Includes current fallow and long-term fallow land.

SC/ST Land Equity Gap

Combines Ag Census land data with Census 2011 SC/ST population shares.

Holdings per 1,000 People

Uses Census 2011 population as denominator.

Cultivated Land per Capita

Uses Census 2011 population as denominator.

Leased Area Share

Informal tenancy widely underreported — most leases are unregistered oral contracts.

Land Gini Coefficient

Calculated from size-class distribution, not individual holdings.

Sowing Efficiency

Net sown ÷ net cultivated. Does not capture multi-cropping.

Uncultivated Ratio

Includes waste, built-up, and waterlogged land within holdings.

RBI Bank Credit (BSR-1)

2026 · 11 indicators · new districts: inherited from parent district

Occupation-classified outstanding credit of scheduled commercial banks by district, from RBI Basic Statistical Returns (BSR-1). Covers a subset of total bank credit — head-office-level and unclassified credit is excluded. Amounts only — borrower account counts not included.

Bank Credit Per Capita

Reflects where credit was sanctioned, not utilized — financial centres (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai) show inflated values. Uses Census 2011 population. Covers occupation-classified credit only (subset of total bank credit).

Total Bank Credit

Reflects where credit was sanctioned, not utilized. Covers occupation-classified credit only (subset of total bank credit). Amounts only — borrower account counts not included.

Agriculture Credit Share

Reflects where credit was sanctioned, not utilized. Covers occupation-classified credit only.

Industry Credit Share

Reflects where credit was sanctioned, not utilized. Covers occupation-classified credit only.

Personal Loans Share

Reflects where credit was sanctioned, not utilized. Covers occupation-classified credit only.

Trade Credit Share

Reflects where credit was sanctioned, not utilized. Covers occupation-classified credit only.

Credit Growth (1-Year)

Reflects where credit was sanctioned, not utilized. Covers occupation-classified credit only. Districts renamed between Mar 2025 and Mar 2026 may show anomalous growth.

Credit Growth (5-Year)

Reflects where credit was sanctioned, not utilized. Covers occupation-classified credit only. Districts renamed between 2021 and 2026 may show anomalous growth.

Credit Trajectory (2015–26)

Nominal credit, not inflation-adjusted. Trends reflect where credit was sanctioned, not utilized. Districts renamed mid-series are stitched across both names.

Credit Growth (11-Year Trend)

Nominal growth — subtract ~5-6% inflation for real terms. The national median (~14%/yr) is the neutral gray midpoint, not zero.

Credit Acceleration

Based on nominal credit trends. A district can be accelerating from a low base or decelerating while still growing fast.

National Crime Records Bureau — SLL Crimes

2022 · 8 indicators · new districts: inherited from parent district

District-level Special & Local Laws crime statistics from NCRB, covering POCSO, SC/ST atrocities, domestic violence, narcotics, cybercrime, and environmental crimes.

POCSO Cases

Rates based on Census 2011 population — urban districts may appear inflated.

SC/ST Atrocities

Census 2011 population. Low values may reflect under-reporting.

Domestic Violence

Most DV cases filed under IPC 498A, not this SLL act.

Dowry Crimes

Rates based on Census 2011 population.

Drug Crimes (NDPS)

NDPS Act only — excludes alcohol/excise violations.

Cybercrime

Census 2011 population. Urban areas report higher due to better detection.

Environmental Crimes

Census 2011 population. High values reflect enforcement, not pollution levels.

Safety-Relevant Crime Rate

Curated subset — excludes liquor, excise, electricity, gambling violations.

National Judicial Data Grid

2024 · 7 indicators · new districts: inherited from parent district

District and taluk court case statistics covering pending cases, disposal rates, and demographic breakdowns.

Pending Cases per Lakh

District & subordinate courts only. Population from Census 2011.

Cases Delayed in Disposal

District courts only. "Delayed" = exceeded prescribed disposal timelines.

Chronic Backlog (5+ Yr)

District courts only. Includes both civil and criminal cases.

Monthly Disposal Ratio

District courts only. Single-month snapshot — seasonal variation possible.

Case Density

District courts only. Reflects urbanization as much as caseload.

Women's Court Cases

District courts only. Based on petitioner gender where recorded.

Cases at Evidence Stage

District courts only. Combines evidence, argument, and judgement stages.

Climate Vulnerability Index

2021 · 4 indicators · new districts: inherited from parent district

District-level climate vulnerability assessment by DST/ICAR covering exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.

Climate Vulnerability Index

Composite index — rankings depend on indicator weights. 8 states/UTs excluded (incl. Goa, Delhi).

MGNREGA Days per Household

Reflects both rural distress and state implementation capacity.

Food Grain Yield Variability

Coefficient of variation over historical time series. 8 states/UTs excluded.

Infant Mortality Rate (CVI 2021)

Different source and year from NFHS-5. 8 states/UTs excluded (incl. Goa, Delhi).

Udyam Registration (MSME)

2026 · 4 indicators · new districts: inherited from parent district

District-wise registered micro, small, and medium enterprises under Udyam, covering enterprise size and sector.

MSME Density

Registered enterprises only — informal sector excluded. Census 2011 population.

Total MSMEs

Registered enterprises only — informal sector excluded.

Manufacturing Share

Registered enterprises only. Classified by NIC activity codes.

Small Enterprise Share

Registered enterprises only. "Small" = investment ₹1–10 crore.

Town Amenities Census 2011

2011 · 3 indicators · new districts: area-proportional estimate

Inventory of civic amenities — hospitals, schools, and banking facilities - in census towns.

Hospitals & Health Centres

Urban areas only — rural facilities not counted.

Schools

Urban areas only — rural schools not counted.

Banking

Urban areas only — rural branches not counted.

eRaktKosh Blood Bank Registry

2024 · 1 indicator · new districts: inherited from parent district

National registry of licensed blood banks and blood centres maintained by CDSCO via the eRaktKosh portal.

Blood Banks per Lakh

Assam is not covered in this dataset. Rate uses Census 2011 population as denominator.

GOBARdhan Biogas Plants

2026 · 1 indicator · new districts: inherited from parent district

District-level biogas plant registration status under GOBARdhan (Swachh Bharat Mission), published by Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Biogas Plants per Lakh

Rate uses Census 2011 population. Delhi has no coverage in this dataset.

Missing is never zero. Where a source does not cover a district, that district renders as no-data rather than as a zero value. If a map looks patchy, that is coverage being shown honestly rather than a rendering fault.