India’s Jan Dhan banking programme reaches 590.9 million accounts

India’s flagship financial-inclusion programme now covers 590.9 million bank accounts, nearly four times the 147.2 million recorded in 2015. Government figures released ahead of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana’s 12th anniversary show that deposits rose almost twentyfold over the same period, from ₹156.7 billion to ₹3.165 trillion.

The accounts are concentrated among groups that have historically faced greater barriers to formal banking. As of 19 August 2026, 459.5 million were in rural and semi-urban areas, while women held 329.2 million. The average deposit had reached ₹5,356, about 3.4 times its level 12 years earlier. Because the accounts require no minimum balance, the growing deposits indicate that many are being used to hold savings, not simply opened and left empty.

Launched in 2014 and expanded in 2018 to target every unbanked adult, Jan Dhan offers basic banking without minimum-balance requirements or maintenance charges. Accounts can receive government benefits directly and connect eligible holders with overdrafts, insurance, pensions and other financial services. The programme has also issued 412.9 million RuPay debit cards, widening access to cash machines and digital payments.