National Highways of India

India has one of the largest road networks in the world, with national highways forming the backbone of the country's road infrastructure. The national highway network connects major cities, state capitals, ports, and industrial hubs across the country.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is the apex body responsible for the development, maintenance, and management of national highways in India. NHAI operates under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

On 28 April 2010, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notified a rationalised numbering system for national highways. Under it, north-south highways are assigned even numbers that increase from east to west, while east-west highways are assigned odd numbers that increase from north to south. NH 44 illustrates the rule rather than breaking it — the principal north-south route, from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, is even-numbered. Major routes carry single- or double-digit numbers, while three-digit numbers denote secondary routes or branches of a parent highway.

Key facts about India's national highways: in the Ministry's own NH-wise list (February 2023), NH 27 (Porbandar to Silchar) is the longest at 4,112.62 km and NH 44 (Srinagar to Kanyakumari) measures 3,568.64 km. The figures more often quoted — 3,745 km for NH 44 and 3,507 km for NH 27 — do not match the Ministry's list. The total national highway network stood at 1,46,560 km as of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Year End Review 2025, up from 91,287 km in 2014. It is about 2% of India's total road network but carries roughly 40% of the total road traffic. Around 43,512 km of it is now four-lane or wider.

That concentration of traffic has a cost. National highways are about 2.1% of the road network but accounted for 36.6% of India's road accident deaths in 2024 — 64,772 people. See the national highway safety data for the state-wise breakdown.