GitHub today revealed that there are over 17 million developers in India building on GitHub, representing an increase of 28% in 2024, and making India the fast-growing developer community in the world. India also has the second-highest number of GitHub Education users, second-highest number of contributors to public generative AI projects, and the second-highest number of contributions to open source projects—underscoring India’s rise as a global technology leader.
The 2024 edition of GitHub’s Octoverse report shows a surge in generative AI activity in India, signalling that AI has moved beyond the hype of 2023 as Indian developers and organisations prioritise results over experimentation. India is the second largest developer community contributing to public generative AI projects on GitHub, just behind the US, with a 79% increase from last year. India also saw a 95% year-over-year (YoY) growth in contributions to these projects, placing third globally, after the US and Hong Kong (SAR).
“Our latest Octoverse report affirms that India’s developer community is the fastest growing developer population on the planet. India’s rise as a global tech titan is now inexorable,” said GitHub CEO, Thomas Dohmke. “Not only this, but India’s booming developer community is using AI to build AI in record numbers, making it evermore likely that the next great multinational will come from India,” Dohmke added.
The report highlights that developers in India are the second highest contributor to open source projects on GitHub, showcasing the strength and dedication of the developer community. These efforts are shaping the future of software and directly influencing innovation on a global scale. India’s developer community is also driving societal change through popular open source projects like ERPNext. This project from India has the most contributions in GitHub’s For Good First Issue, which connects contributors with projects addressing societal challenges and promoting sustainable development.
Additionally, open source communities in India are leveraging GitHub Copilot, the world’s most widely adopted AI developer tool, to build digital solutions, such as Open Healthcare Network (OHC), a pioneering open source organisation dedicated to enhancing healthcare delivery and management. Fueled by a small team of dedicated developers, GitHub Copilot is accelerating the project’s growth as it addresses the needs of the country’s healthcare system.
Finally, the report revealed that India has the second-highest number of GitHub Education users, driven in part by the National Education Policy of 2020, which requires schools to include coding and AI in their curriculum. A recent study from the learning platform Udemy found that GitHub is one of the most sought-after skills in India, comparable to English grammar, further highlighting the important role of GitHub in India. By investing in early-age software development and AI literacy, India is creating a sustained wave of developer talent, driving ongoing growth and securing its position as a global technology leader long-term.
GitHub predicts that India will surpass the US to become the world’s largest developer community by 2028. Previously, GitHub had forecasted this shift by 2027, based on linear population growth.
