Datanomics: Porous India-Myanmar border sees sharp spike in infiltration

Arrests rise over 12 years, but infiltrators form a negligible share of border states' population; India-Bangladesh border records most cases, while India-Myanmar remains most porous

Infiltration has for long remained a security concern for India. Home Minister Amit Shah had on Monday said that the government would establish a stronger system to tackle the menace. According to a reply by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session, a total of 23,926 infiltrators were arrested across various border regions between 2014 and 2025. However, the number of arrested infiltrators accounted for just 0.003 per cent of the total population of the 16 bordering states in the past around 12 years (till November, 2025). While around 86 per cent of infiltrators have been caught along the India–Bangladesh border, the border with Myanmar remains the most porous, with a sharp spike in infiltration in over a decade. 

 

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The total number of infiltrators caught in India increased from 2,262 in 2014 to 3,120 in 2025 (till November). However, the number of infiltrators per crore population saw a marginal increase from 28 in 2014 to 35 in 2025.

 

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The number of infiltrators per crore population of the India-Myanmar border saw a sharp increase from 58 in 2014 to 525 in 2025 in comparison to the India-Bangladesh border, which saw a marginal increase from 159 to 176 during this period. 

 

 

India-Bangladesh border, which is the country's longest one, accounted for the highest number of infiltrators arrested per km.