India is the No. 2 market for Claude. Here is who is using it, and who isn’t

India ranks as the second-largest market for Anthropic's Claude AI, but its usage is primarily concentrated among a limited group of users. According to Anthropic's Economic Index, India ranks 101st out of 116 countries in terms of Claude usage per working-age person. While the country's aggregate usage is high, per-capita adoption remains low, indicating that India's position as a top market is largely driven by its large population rather than widespread adoption.

Factors such as income, digital infrastructure, and awareness likely influence AI adoption. Higher-income countries generally have greater Claude usage per person. In India, the primary occupations using Claude include software development and engineering, which aligns with the large IT services sector in the country. About 45.2% of tasks performed by Indian users with Claude map to software-related occupations, the highest share among countries.

Indian users complete tasks with Claude significantly faster than without it, with an average speedup of 15 times. Around 51.3% of Indian users' Claude.ai use is work-related, compared to 46% globally. Additionally, 20.9% of tasks are coursework-related, and 27.8% are personal use, which is higher than the global average of 34.7% for personal use.

Indian users delegate more decision-making autonomy to AI compared to the global average, indicating greater trust in AI to operate independently and enhance human capabilities. However, the concentration of Claude use in economically high-performing states, such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Delhi, suggests that current AI adoption in India is primarily driven by the established technology workforce rather than broad-based consumer uptake.

Addressing structural barriers related to income, digital infrastructure, and awareness outside the IT sector is crucial for broader AI adoption in India.