Length of roads in India FY 2003-2019

At the end of financial year 2019, the length of roads across India was over 5.4 million kilometers, making it one of the largest road networks in the world. As a consequence of the rise in industrial activities, an increasing number of vehicles have driven the growth of the road transport sector. With regard to both passenger, and freight transport segments, roads play a central role in India.

National highways

National highways are the second-highest category for roads in India's road network, just behind expressways. The total length of national highways was over 136 thousand kilometers in financial year 2021. There are over 200 national highways in the country which contribute to about 40 percent of the road traffic. The highways, however, make up a share of less than two percent of all Indian roads. In addition, the cost of logistics by road was more expensive than other modes of transport other than air, at 3.6 Indian rupees per metric ton kilometer. Furthermore, this contributed to a substantially high logistics cost of around 14 percent of India’s national GDP.

Road accidents

With the increasing number of vehicles, and the expansion of road network, there was also a rise in the numbers of road accidents in India. Furthermore, India has the highest number of casualties in road accidents in comparison with other countries. Even though national highways only account for a fraction of the road network in India, they accounted for more than 30 percent of total road accidents. Of these, almost 36 percent have been related to deaths. To ensure better road safety, the government has made several legislative changes and policy initiatives to reduce cases of drunk driving, speeding, and driving fatigue.