Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi is India's dominant political force, a chai-seller's son turned three-term Prime Minister who reshaped the world's most populous democracy in his own image.

By Alexandre Le Hégarat · datastats · Updated June 15, 2026

Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on 17 September 1950 in Vadnagar, a small town in what is now Gujarat. He grew up in modest circumstances, famously helping his father sell tea near a railway station. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a young man and rose through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), eventually becoming Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001, a post he held for over twelve years.

In 2014, Modi led the BJP to a sweeping parliamentary majority and became India’s 14th Prime Minister, the first born after independence. He was re-elected in 2019 and again in 2024 (with a reduced majority requiring coalition support), making him one of India’s longest-serving PMs. His tenure has been defined by landmark economic reforms, a muscular foreign policy, major infrastructure drives, and deeply controversial decisions including the revocation of Jammu & Kashmir’s special status and the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Modi is one of the most searched political figures on Earth. He commands a massive personal following, his social media reach rivals or exceeds that of most world leaders, and he polarises opinion sharply. Supporters credit him with modernising India’s economy and projecting national confidence on the global stage; critics accuse him of centralising power and stoking Hindu nationalist sentiment at the expense of minorities.

His personal life, particularly his estranged marriage, is a frequent search topic. He disclosed on election nomination forms in 2014 that he is married to Jashodaben Modi, a fact he had not publicly acknowledged for decades, making their relationship one of the most discussed open secrets in Indian politics.

People also ask

Modi lives and works at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg (formerly 7, Race Course Road) in New Delhi, the official residence of India's Prime Minister. He also maintains strong ties to Gujarat, where his political career was built, but New Delhi is his official home.

Narendra Modi is Indian. He was born in Vadnagar, Gujarat, which was then part of the Bombay State of newly independent India, making him an Indian national by birth.

Modi was born on 17 September 1950, which makes him 74 years old as of mid-2025. He is one of the older sitting heads of government in the democratic world, though he projects an image of vigorous activity and discipline.

Modi is widely reported to be approximately 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall. No official measurement has been published, so treat any precise figure as an estimate based on photographic comparisons and media reports.

This depends on the country. In India, Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1984 at age 40, making him the youngest to hold the office in India's history. Globally, figures like William Pitt the Younger (UK, 1783, age 24) and Emmanuel Macron (France, technically president) hold younger records in their respective systems.

As of 2025, India's living former Prime Ministers include Manmohan Singh, wait, Dr. Manmohan Singh passed away in December 2024, and H.D. Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh's predecessor, leaving Deve Gowda as the most prominently surviving former PM. The exact number changes; always verify with a current source as former leaders pass away. India has had 14 individuals serve as PM, and only a small number survive.

Modi's wife is Jashodaben Chimanlal Modi (née Jashodaben Narendrabhai Modi), a retired schoolteacher from Gujarat. They were married in an arranged marriage in 1968 when both were teenagers, but Modi left home shortly after and the two have lived entirely separately for decades.

The framing here is worth correcting: it was Modi who left, not Jashodaben. She did not abandon him, she has spoken in interviews about living a quiet life and, for a period, reportedly even supported his political rise. The separation happened when a young Modi chose the path of the RSS and an ascetic life of political activism over domestic life.

Modi and Jashodaben are not formally divorced, they remain legally married. There has been no reported court divorce. They simply separated very early in the marriage and have lived apart ever since, a status Modi kept out of public view for decades before disclosing it on official election forms in 2014.

Modi has never given a detailed public explanation. The widely reported account is that after their brief arranged marriage, he chose to devote himself entirely to the RSS, a life of itinerant political work that he portrayed as incompatible with family life. In Indian public discourse, he frames himself as a man who gave up personal life for national service, a narrative his critics call convenient.

Yes, legally, Narendra Modi is married to Jashodaben Modi. He disclosed this on his 2014 election affidavit after years of leaving the question blank on official documents. However, the two have not lived together for roughly five decades and have no shared domestic life.

Modi's popularity rests on a potent mix: a compelling personal story (poor background, self-made rise), a strong Hindu nationalist identity that resonates with India's majority community, a reputation for decisive action and anti-corruption rhetoric, and a masterful command of mass communication and social media. He also benefits from a fragmented opposition that has repeatedly failed to present a credible alternative. His critics argue his popularity is partly manufactured through media management, but the electoral numbers, three consecutive terms, speak for themselves.

Modi's major policy moves include demonetisation (2016, controversial), the rollout of GST (a unified national tax), the Jan Dhan financial inclusion scheme, Swachh Bharat (a national sanitation drive), major highway and infrastructure expansion, revocation of Article 370 in J&K, the Citizenship Amendment Act, and significant digital payments infrastructure growth (UPI). India also became the world's most populous nation and the fifth-largest economy under his watch, though economists debate how much credit any single leader deserves for those macro trends.

In India, there is no constitutional term limit for the Prime Minister. A PM can serve indefinitely as long as they command a majority in the Lok Sabha and their party or coalition wins elections. Jawaharlal Nehru served for 17 years; Modi is currently in his eleventh year.

Modi holds a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Gujarat University, completed in 1983 as a correspondence/distance education degree. His earlier undergraduate qualification (Bachelor of Arts) was from the same institution. His educational credentials were scrutinised publicly in 2016 when the AAP party raised questions, the university has maintained the degrees are valid.

India's shortest-serving Prime Minister was Gulzarilal Nanda, who served as interim PM for just 13 days twice (1964 and 1966). The more famous "45 days" reference globally belongs to the UK's Liz Truss (2022), though her actual tenure was 45 days in office before resignation, making her the shortest-serving British PM in history.

Technically yes, briefly, but it is constitutionally untenable to hold the position long-term. In India, a Prime Minister must be a member of Parliament; if they lose a seat, convention and the Constitution require them to win a seat within six months (via Rajya Sabha or a by-election) or resign. No sitting Indian PM has lost their Lok Sabha seat at a general election and remained in office.

No. India's Constitution imposes no term limit on the Prime Minister. Modi can continue to serve as long as his coalition holds a majority in parliament and he leads the BJP. This distinguishes India from presidential systems like the US (two-term limit) or France.

In India, Jawaharlal Nehru holds the record, he served as PM from 1947 until his death in 1964, a span of nearly 17 years. Globally, figures like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore (over 31 years) dwarf even Nehru's tenure, but in the context of India's parliamentary democracy, Nehru is the benchmark Modi is being measured against.

Narendra Modi's spouse is Jashodaben Modi, a retired primary school teacher from Gujarat. They were married in 1968 in an arranged marriage but have lived entirely separate lives since shortly after the wedding. Jashodaben has given occasional media interviews over the years and reportedly lives a low-profile life.