Demographic Advantage

The A&N has a population of around 381,000, with 37.5% of the population being urban, and has 876 females per thousand males.

Compared with the national average of 59.5%, the PLFS Annual Survey 2022-23 shows the worker population ratio for the A&N Islands to be 63.9% for the age group of 15-59 years, and the labour force participation rate has been reported at 71.2%, higher than the national average of 61.6%, evidencing strong demographic trends.

Healthcare Facilities

With the presence of healthcare services for people in both urban and rural areas, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have seen a significant improvement in the health infrastructure in recent years.

As of 2022-23, 1 Ayush Hospital, the 4 Community Health Centers, 129 Health & Wellness Centers, and 24 Sub-Centers, which are equipped with laboratories, X-ray machines, and blood transfusion machines, are providing healthcare facilities to the people of the region.

The GB Pant Hospital in Port Blair is the referral hospital for the entire UT, with specialized services like ENT, ophthalmology, and super-specialty departments like cardiology, neurology, and oncology have also been established. 

Educational Facilities

The literacy rate of the A&N Islands has been 86.63%, according to the Census 2011. With a total of 443 institutions imparting school education to ~77,000 students and the presence of 16 higher education institutions offering courses in polytechnics, ocean studies and marine biology, coastal disaster management, etc.

The administration of the A&N Islands has been making efforts to impart quality education to all the students of the UT. To provide education in all parts of the region, the A&N administration also provides grants-in-aid to private schools to ensure proper educational infrastructure and quality education are in place. ANIIMS, Dr BR Ambedar Institute of Technology, and other ITIs deliver technical and medical courses like engineering, physiotherapy, etc. 

Technology & Advancement

The Department of Science and Technology has introduced various technological-led programs in educational institutions to drive science and innovation in the region.

The Government of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has also partnered with BookingJini, a hospitality-focused SaaS platform, emphasizing the importance of digital technology in enhancing tourism facilities in the UT and managing tourist traffic through the use of digital-centric solutions.

For high yield and product diversification, research projects on the conservation and utilization of coconut and areca nut genetic resources of Andaman & Nicobar have also been carried out to resort to technologically advanced and sustainable output solutions.

Infrastructure

Under the Andaman and Nicobar Island Dweep Connectivity Programme, the Beodnabad to Ferrargunj section of NH-4 in the A&N Islands was completed, and this NH-4, also known as the 'Andaman Trunk Road' with a length of 330 km, serves as a major road network for transit.

The UT has one international airport in Port Blair, which connects it to major states such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and others. The airport also allows foreign chartered planes to land, subject to certain guidelines and offers helicopter services for inter-island transport.

Regular inter-island ferry services and private boats also operate in the region, connecting all tourist destinations and populated islands. Passenger cargo ship services are also available to Port Blair from Chennai, Kolkata, and Visakhapatnam. The water sports and adventure tourism infrastructure attracts tourists to activities like snorkelling, scuba diving, wave surfing, etc. The islands are also equipped with 11 hotels, including 5-star Deluxe, apartment hotels, etc. 

Sustainability Initiatives

For holistic development of islands in the country, the administration of A&N Islands has taken up sustainable development initiatives to boost economic growth for sustained development of the region.

Eco-tourism projects in PPP mode have been proposed. Furthermore, to encourage organic cultivation in the UT, a 50% cost subsidy and a 100% transport subsidy for the purchase of organic/biofertilizers were also introduced. The UT has an installed renewable capacity of 35.16 MW as of Oct 2024.