From second place in February to number one by November: how India became OpenAI’s most important audience
India has moved to the top of ChatGPT’s global rankings, and it got there fast.
The headline
OpenAI India’s managing director, Prabhjeet Singh, told The Economic Times that the country’s weekly active user base has doubled since January 2026, and that India now ranks first globally on that measure.
How quickly things have moved
The jump is striking when set against where India stood just months ago. OpenAI said on February 18 that India had more than 100 million weekly ChatGPT users, and days earlier Sam Altman had described India as the service’s second-largest user base after the United States. The reports I found don’t state an exact current user count, so the “doubled” figure comes from OpenAI’s own statement rather than a published number.
What’s driving the surge
Students. Altman has said India has the largest number of students using ChatGPT anywhere in the world. He pointed to the country’s young population and expanding internet access as key drivers.
Pricing built for India. OpenAI opened a New Delhi office in August 2025 and tailored its offerings to a price-sensitive market, including a sub-$5 ChatGPT Go tier that was later made free for Indian users for a year.
Work and coding use. OpenAI has said Indian users lead global ChatGPT usage for coding and data analysis, well above global averages.
The big question: users versus revenue
Scale doesn’t automatically mean income. India’s users are overwhelmingly on the free tier, and with the average monthly mobile data plan costing under $3, converting them into paying subscribers will test whether OpenAI’s growth story can become a revenue story. Competition is also intense: Google and Reliance Jio are offering free Gemini AI Pro access to over 500 million Jio users.
What to watch next
- Whether OpenAI shares an exact weekly user number for India.
- How many free users convert to paid plans once promotional periods end.
- How the Gemini and Jio bundle affects ChatGPT’s share among everyday users.
Note: The “largest market” and “doubled” claims come from OpenAI India’s own statement as reported by The Economic Times, so they are company-reported rather than independently audited figures.
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