Indian Nobel Prize winners are a favourite general-knowledge topic, and the questions usually turn on the year, the field, or whether the laureate was an Indian citizen or a person of Indian origin. This complete list of Indian Nobel Prize winners separates the two groups clearly and highlights the firsts that examiners test most. Keep the citizen-versus-origin distinction in mind, because it is exactly where many candidates lose the mark.
Table of Contents
Nobel winners who were Indian citizens
These laureates were Indian citizens at the time they received the Nobel Prize:
| Laureate | Field | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rabindranath Tagore | Literature | 1913 |
| C. V. Raman | Physics | 1930 |
| Mother Teresa | Peace | 1979 |
| Amartya Sen | Economics | 1998 |
| Kailash Satyarthi | Peace | 2014 |
Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian — and the first Asian — to win a Nobel Prize, for his collection Gitanjali. C. V. Raman won for the Raman effect, and National Science Day (28 February) marks his discovery. Mother Teresa, a naturalised Indian citizen, won the Peace Prize for her humanitarian work in Kolkata. Amartya Sen won the Economics prize for his work on welfare economics, and Kailash Satyarthi shared the Peace Prize for his campaign against child labour.
Nobel winners of Indian origin
These laureates were born in India or are of Indian origin but were citizens of other countries when they won:
| Laureate | Field | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Har Gobind Khorana | Medicine | 1968 |
| Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar | Physics | 1983 |
| Venkatraman Ramakrishnan | Chemistry | 2009 |
| Abhijit Banerjee | Economics | 2019 |
Har Gobind Khorana, born in Raipur (now in Pakistan), won for work on the genetic code. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the nephew of C. V. Raman, won in Physics for his theory of the structure and evolution of stars (the Chandrasekhar limit). Venkatraman Ramakrishnan won in Chemistry for studies of the ribosome, and Abhijit Banerjee shared the Economics prize for an experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. All four were associated with institutions abroad at the time of their awards.
Important firsts to remember
- First Indian / Asian Nobel laureate: Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913).
- First Indian in Physics: C. V. Raman (1930).
- First Indian in Economics: Amartya Sen (1998).
- Indian Peace laureates: Mother Teresa (1979) and Kailash Satyarthi (2014).
- Uncle and nephew laureates: C. V. Raman and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.
For more high-frequency firsts across fields, see our guide to the firsts in India and our GK one-liner questions.
Nobel Prize categories
It helps to know the six Nobel Prize categories, because questions sometimes ask which category a laureate won in. The prizes are awarded in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace and Economic Sciences. The first five were established by Alfred Nobel’s will and first awarded in 1901; the Economics prize was added later, in 1969, by the Swedish central bank in Nobel’s memory. India-linked laureates span five of these six categories — Literature, Physics, Medicine, Chemistry, Peace and Economics — which is itself a point worth remembering.
Why this topic matters
Nobel Prize questions are a compact, closed set of facts that recur across SSC, Railway and Banking exams. Because the list changes only when a new India-linked laureate is announced, it is easy to keep current, and the facts are unambiguous, making them reliable marks. The one subtlety examiners exploit is the citizen-versus-origin distinction, so it is worth learning the two groups separately rather than as a single list.
How to remember Indian Nobel Prize winners
Learn the five Indian citizens first, with year and field, then the four laureates of Indian origin. Attach a one-line hook to each — Tagore the first, Raman the Raman effect and Science Day, Chandrasekhar the star limit and Raman’s nephew, Satyarthi child labour. Revising the two groups separately, with the firsts on top, lets you answer both the direct questions and the citizen-versus-origin trap. Always confirm any newly announced laureate against a reliable source, such as the official Nobel Prize website, before your exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize?
Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian and the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize, for Literature in 1913.
Who was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Physics?
Sir C. V. Raman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his work on the scattering of light, known as the Raman effect.
Who are the Indian Nobel Peace Prize winners?
Mother Teresa (1979) and Kailash Satyarthi (2014) are the Nobel Peace Prize winners associated with India.
What is the difference between Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin among Nobel winners?
Some laureates were Indian citizens at the time of the award, while others were born in India or of Indian origin but were citizens of other countries — a distinction exams often test.