Before 2018, one serious hospital bill could ruin a poor family. Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, launched in September 2018, changed that, offering ₹5 lakh a year of free hospital cover to the poorest 40% of the country.
Ayushman Bharat
Ayushman Bharat
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is the world's largest publicly funded health-assurance scheme — free hospital cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for about 55 crore Indians in 12 crore families (the poorest 40%), and since 2024 for all senior citizens aged 70 and above. Launched in 2018, it had created 43.52 crore Ayushman cards and authorised 11.69 crore hospital admissions worth ₹1.73 lakh crore by 28 February 2026; the Economic Survey 2024-25 records over ₹1.25 lakh crore saved in out-of-pocket costs. The counter shows Ayushman cards issued.
55 cr
Indians eligible (world's largest)
43.5 cr
Ayushman cards created (Feb 2026)
₹1.25 L cr
Out-of-pocket costs saved (Economic Survey 2024-25)
Ayushman cards issued
| Year | Ayushman cards issued |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 3 crore |
| 2020 | 8 crore |
| 2021 | 11 crore |
| 2022 | 13 crore |
| 2023 | 23 crore |
| 2025 | 37 crore |
| 2026 | 44 crore |
| Dashed bars are years the source does not publish; the shape between published years is drawn, not measured. | |
2019
0crore
Ayushman cards issued
20192026
Since 2019
Added
+41 crore
2019
3 crore
2026
44 crore
Dashed bars are years the source does not publish; the shape between published years is drawn, not measured.
Why it matters A single serious illness can push a family into poverty; free hospital cover for half the country is one of the most powerful anti-poverty and health tools India has built.
- About 55 crore eligible (world's largest); ₹5 lakh/family/year
- 43.52 cr cards; 11.69 cr admissions (Feb 2026); ₹1.25 lakh cr saved
- Source: National Health Authority
History
World's largest
About 55 crore people are eligible — the world's largest publicly funded health-assurance scheme — for treatment at 36,229 empanelled public and private hospitals. In 2024 it was extended to all senior citizens aged 70+, about 6 crore more people. By February 2026, 43.52 crore cards had been created, and the Economic Survey 2024-25 records over ₹1.25 lakh crore saved in out-of-pocket costs.
How it works
Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) is government-funded health insurance: eligible poor and vulnerable families get ₹5 lakh a year of cashless hospital cover at any empanelled public or private hospital, with no premium — the government pays. Eligibility is drawn from the socio-economic census, and alongside insurance, thousands of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs handle primary care, screening and free medicines closer to home.
Outlook
Coverage keeps widening — in 2024 the scheme was extended to all citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of income. The next steps are empanelling more quality hospitals (especially rural), speeding up claim settlements, curbing fraud, and linking the scheme to the digital health-record system so a patient's history follows them from one hospital to the next.
Cover for every senior
On 29 October 2024 the scheme was extended to every citizen aged 70 and above, regardless of income, through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card. It carries the same ₹5 lakh a year of cashless cover across 1,961 procedures, from diagnostics to complex surgery, with no waiting period for pre-existing conditions — so an elderly person diagnosed the week they enrol is covered from day one.
By the numbers
About 55 crore eligible; ₹5 lakh/family/year; 43.52 cr cards and 11.69 cr hospital admissions (Feb 2026); ₹1.25 lakh cr saved (Economic Survey 2024-25); 36,229 hospitals. Source: National Health Authority; Ministry of Health via PIB.
Data current to: 28 February 2026
Source: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (National Health Authority data) — cumulative Ayushman cards created under AB PM-JAY (crore). PIB, January 2024: 2.8 crore at the end of 2018-19, then 7.5 (2019-20), 10.6 (2020-21), 13.3 (2021-22) and 22.5 (2022-23), from a chart in the release; PIB, March 2025: 36.9 crore on 24 March 2025; PIB, March 2026: 43.52 crore cards, 11.69 crore hospital admissions and 36,229 empanelled hospitals as on 28 February 2026 (linked). No end-March 2024 figure was found. · link