War, weapons, and the web: Data behind the India-Pakistan escalation

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In May 2025, the world watched India and Pakistan edge into yet another military stand-off, following years of strained ties rooted in history, politics, and trade. The Pahalgam terror attack and the ensuing Operation Sindoor sparked global concern and renewed interest in a region grappling with an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.

At The Hindu’s Data Team, we turned to what we know best — numbers — to make sense of the unfolding conflict. As narratives clashed and opinions polarised, we sought to ground our analysis in data, cutting through the noise with facts. 

The massacre of tourists in Pahalgam, amid a tourism surge in J&K UT, had led to 80% booking cancellations. In 2024, tourist numbers had hit a 15-year high, and the UT saw improved local revenue generation. The incident threatens both the tourism boom and broader economic recovery in the region.

J&K’s economy and tourism in peril after Pahalgam massacre

Western border districts in India, except those in Gujarat, were already economically lagging due to a hostile neighbour and poor infrastructure. Poverty reduction has been slower, and export contributions remain negligible. Recent India-Pakistan tensions and cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) are further threatening to disrupt economic activity in the region.

Eastern border districts fare even worse, with minimal exports and slower poverty alleviation. Post-pandemic cuts in the Border Area Development Programme have worsened conditions, especially in the west, compounding economic vulnerability in these strategic regions.

India-Pakistan tensions put strain on struggling western border districts | Data

The military escalation between the two nations was quickly accompanied by a surge in misinformation and disinformation — both spreading rapidly and being debunked just as fast. Using Google search trends, we captured the spike in public anxiety such moments provoke, and how the fog of war often hides its true cost: human lives lost on all sides.

What war hysteria hides: deaths, destruction, disinformation

As the two nations traded blows — diplomatically and militarily — a different kind of response emerged within India. Several institutions and companies called for a boycott of tourism and services linked to Turkiye and Azerbaijan, citing their support for Pakistan. Using international trade figures and tourist arrival data, we assessed the potential impact of such a boycott on these countries.

But as we went deeper into the numbers, a larger question surfaced: why do Turkiye and Azerbaijan support Pakistan? The answer, in part, lay in military export data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. India’s defence ties with Armenia — a country locked in a long-standing conflict with Azerbaijan — have added friction to this equation, even as Indian tourist interest in Azerbaijan has grown.

Turkey-Azerbaijan boycott: Understanding India’s relations with these nations

SIPRI’s military database was key to understanding the shifting defence dependencies of India and Pakistan. While the United States once accounted for a major share of Pakistan’s arms imports, China has now taken over that role — supplying over 90% of Pakistan’s imported weaponry. India, meanwhile, has moved away from its long-standing reliance on Russia, diversifying its defence partnerships across a wider set of countries.

Arms deals: India moves away from Russia; Pakistan from the U.S.

Our analysis of the Indo-Pak conflict also offered a lens into the evolving contours of global power. While the U.S. continues to retreat from several international commitments, China has expanded its influence — not just through arms, but also through soft power.

Beijing is now a major contributor to the World Health Organisation and the UN climate framework. World Bank data shows China as the largest lender of external debt globally. And a recent PEW Research survey confirms what the numbers suggest: a growing number of people around the world now see China as a key force shaping their national economies.

As U.S. pulls back from WHO and Paris climate deal, China is primed to expand its soft power

What we published in the last two weeks 

Over two decades, India saw a shift from communicable to non-communicable disease-related deaths, notably cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Deaths from malaria, TB, and diarrhoea declined due to better healthcare, while deaths from fevers of unknown origin rose. Cancer-related death shares stayed flat, and COVID-19 briefly reversed the declining trend in communicable disease deaths.

What’s killing Indians: share of cardiac and diabetic deaths soar 

During the tenures of CJIs Chandrachud and Khanna, 88.2% of Madras HC appointees came from non-general categories, the highest among 24 HCs. Southern HCs, especially Madras, had significantly higher representation of BC, OBC, MBC, SC, and ST judges. This trend reflects regional disparities in social mobility and educational attainment, especially among OBCs.

Madras HC judge picks: 88% not from general category

From time to time, members of the Data Team look beyond the numbers and engage in creative endeavours. Our principal data correspondent, Vignesh Radhkrishnan, who is closing in on a decade of experience in data journalism, wrote a short account on the day-to-day life of a data journalist.

A day in the life of a data journalist 

News in Numbers

Here are some important News in Numbers from last week:

56%

Percentage decrease in the speed of response among women with PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS impacts women’s focus by decreasing the speed of response by almost 56% and their accuracy by about 10 per cent, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) said. The findings emphasise the need to understand PCOS as a complex medical condition that not only affects physical health but also cognitive health.

Source: PTI

35%

Percentage share of women STEM graduates globally

Women make up only 35 per cent of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates globally, with no significant progress made in the last decade, according to UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team. It also pointed out that men lead the digital transformation, and women constitute only 26 per cent of the workforce in data and AI.

₹280 crore

BSNL’s second consecutive quarterly profit in 18 years

The company had posted a loss of Rs 849 crore in the same period a year ago. BSNL said that with back-to-back profitable quarters, the company’s loss for FY25 has reduced to Rs 2,247 crore from Rs 5,370 crore in FY24.

Source: PTI