The number of NEET UG registrations has increased by almost 50 per cent from 15.19 lakh in 2019 to 22.79 lakh in 2026 in 8 years. The data is taken from the official report of "Key Data Points of NEET (UG) Over Years" by the National Testing Agency. Total 19.99 lakh appeared in the NEET UG exam and 11.21 lakh candidates have qualified in the exam in 2026.
This 8-year period sees three significant changes. There are now much more female candidates than male candidates and they qualify at a higher rate. NEET UG cut-off marks have varied significantly, particularly when compared to the year 2024 and 2026. OBC-NCL candidates have also emerged as the largest group of qualified students ahead of General category. This analysis explains the official statistics from NTA in a year-wise manner which allows the aspirants, parents and institutions to clearly understand where the trends are headed.
NEET UG Registration Trend (2019-2026): Registered vs Appeared vs Absent
| Year | Registered | Appeared | Absent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 15,19,375 | 14,10,755 | 1,08,620 |
| 2020 | 15,97,435 | 13,66,945 | 2,30,490 |
| 2021 | 16,14,777 | 15,44,273 | 70,504 |
| 2022 | 18,72,343 | 17,64,571 | 1,07,772 |
| 2023 | 20,87,462 | 20,38,596 | 48,866 |
| 2024 | 24,06,079 | 23,33,297 | 72,782 |
| 2025 | 22,76,069 | 22,09,318 | 66,751 |
| 2026 | 22,79,743 | 19,99,895 | 2,79,848 |
In 2026, how many candidates appeared for NEET UG exam? Overall, 22,79,743 candidates registered, which is almost equal to that of 2025. However, there was a drop in examination attendance.
- In 2024, the number of candidates appeared in NEET UG has been increased to 24.06 lakh. This is the highest in the last 8 years.
- However, registration dropped in consecutive years (2025 and 2026).
- In 2026, the highest number of absent candidates were 2,79,848, while in 2025 it was 66,751. This is the greatest difference between the number of registered and appeared candidates in the entire data set.
- The increase coincides with the re-examination of the NEET UG 2026 on June 21, following the cancellation of its May 3 exam. Many registered candidates likely could not sit for the rescheduled date.
- Even with the drop in appearance, 2026 registration still sits nearly 50 percent above the 2019 figure.
Category-wise Registration Trend (2019-2026)
| Year | General | SC | ST | OBC | EWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5,34,072 | 2,11,303 | 96,456 | 6,77,544 | - |
| 2020 | 4,75,534 | 2,21,253 | 1,00,519 | 7,06,214 | 93,915 |
| 2021 | 4,60,853 | 2,35,667 | 1,00,900 | 6,93,652 | 1,23,705 |
| 2022 | 5,65,964 | 2,68,750 | 1,13,830 | 7,91,135 | 1,32,664 |
| 2023 | 5,92,110 | 2,94,995 | 1,26,121 | 8,73,173 | 1,52,197 |
| 2024 | 6,47,260 | 3,56,727 | 1,57,115 | 10,54,277 | 1,90,700 |
| 2025 | 6,89,366 | 3,33,646 | 1,50,224 | 9,48,507 | 1,54,326 |
| 2026 | 6,65,036 | 3,45,519 | 1,51,366 | 9,52,249 | 1,65,573 |
Which category has the most NEET UG registrations? OBC category candidates lead every single year in this data. In 2026, 9,52,249 OBC candidates registered, more than General and SC combined.
- OBC registration grew from 6.77 lakh in 2019 to 9.52 lakh in 2026. It's a rise of about 40 percent.
- The EWS category is new in the 2020 data and there were 93,915 candidates. By 2026, that number reached 1,65,573, nearly a threefold rise.
- SC candidates rose from 2.11 lakh in 2019 to 3.46 lakh in 2026.
- ST registration stayed the smallest group throughout, growing modestly from 96,456 to 1,51,366.
- The 2024 general category registration stood at 6.47 lakh. But it dropped for two consecutive years as the overall number of registrations decreased.
Gender-wise Trend (2019-2026)
| Year | Male | Female | Third Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 6,80,414 | 8,38,955 | 6 |
| 2020 | 7,16,586 | 8,80,843 | 6 |
| 2021 | 7,10,988 | 9,03,774 | 15 |
| 2022 | 8,07,538 | 10,64,794 | 11 |
| 2023 | 9,02,936 | 11,84,513 | 13 |
| 2024 | 10,29,198 | 13,76,863 | 18 |
| 2025 | 9,65,996 | 13,10,062 | 11 |
| 2026 | 9,46,815 | 13,32,914 | 14 |
Since 2019, every year there are more female candidates than male candidates. In 2026, 13,32,914 women registered against 9,46,815 men - a gap of nearly 4 lakh.
- Over time, gender gap has increased. The female population was approximately 1.58 lakh more than male population in 2019.
- The highest number of female registrants was in 2024 with 13.77 lakh. This is the maximum for any gender group.
- Male registration also peaked in 2024, at 10.29 lakh. This was before falling in both 2025 and 2026.
- Third-gender registration remains small in absolute terms but has grown from 6 candidates in 2019 to 14 in 2026, with a high of 18 in 2024.
Language-wise Registration Trend
| Year | English | Hindi | Gujarati | Tamil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 12,04,968 | 1,79,857 | 59,395 | 1,017 |
| 2026 | 18,08,535 | 3,45,247 | 49,647 | 29,845 |
NEET UG runs in 13 languages, but English and Hindi dominate registration.
- English medium candidates rose from 12.05 lakh in 2019 to 18.09 lakh in 2026, a growth of 50 percent.
- Hindi medium candidates nearly doubled, from 1.80 lakh to 3.45 lakh over the same period.
- Tamil-medium registration grew almost 30 times over, from 1,017 candidates in 2019 to 29,845 in 2026.
- Gujarati registration actually fell, from 59,395 to 49,647, one of the only languages to show a decline.
2025 vs 2026 Snapshot: Registered, Appeared, Qualified
Gender-wise comparison
| Gender | 2025 Registered | 2025 Appeared | 2025 Qualified | 2026 Registered | 2026 Appeared | 2026 Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 9,65,996 | 9,37,411 | 5,14,063 | 9,46,815 | 8,47,732 | 4,67,134 |
| Female | 13,10,062 | 12,71,896 | 7,22,462 | 13,32,914 | 11,52,152 | 6,54,049 |
| Third Gender | 11 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 2 |
| Total | 22,76,069 | 22,09,318 | 12,36,531 | 22,79,743 | 19,99,895 | 11,21,185 |
Category-wise comparison
| Category | 2025 Registered | 2025 Appeared | 2025 Qualified | 2026 Registered | 2026 Appeared | 2026 Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 6,89,366 | 6,65,853 | 3,38,728 | 6,65,036 | 5,69,098 | 2,91,133 |
| OBC-NCL | 9,48,507 | 9,25,739 | 5,64,611 | 9,52,249 | 8,43,032 | 5,12,014 |
| SC | 3,33,646 | 3,22,538 | 1,68,873 | 3,45,519 | 3,04,115 | 1,59,296 |
| ST | 1,50,224 | 1,43,602 | 67,234 | 1,51,366 | 1,29,957 | 63,716 |
| EWS | 1,54,326 | 1,51,586 | 97,085 | 1,65,573 | 1,53,693 | 95,026 |
Do girls or boys qualify NEET UG at a higher rate? Women qualify at a higher rate than men. The percentage of those who appeared in 2026 and qualified was 56.8 per cent for female candidates. Among male candidates, the qualification rate was 55.1 percent. This gap held in both 2025 and 2026.
- Total qualified candidates fell from 12.37 lakh in 2025 to 11.21 lakh in 2026, a drop of about 1.15 lakh.
- This drop tracks almost exactly with the fall in appeared candidates, not a stricter exam. Fewer people took the test, so fewer people qualified.
- OBC-NCL candidates remained the largest qualified group in both years, with 5.12 lakh qualifying in 2026, ahead of General at 2.91 lakh.
- General category saw the steepest drop in qualified candidates, falling from 3.39 lakh in 2025 to 2.91 lakh in 2026, a decline of about 14 percent.
- EWS candidates held nearly steady, slipping only slightly from 97,085 to 95,026.
Qualifying Cutoff and Percentile Trend (2024-2026)
| Category | 2024 Marks Range | 2025 Marks Range | 2026 Marks Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| UR/EWS | 720-162 | 686-144 | 715-213 |
| OBC | 161-127 | 143-113 | 212-177 |
| SC | 161-127 | 143-113 | 212-177 |
| ST | 161-127 | 143-113 | 212-177 |
Is the NEET UG cutoff trend rising or falling? It dropped sharply in 2025, then climbed back up in 2026.
- The UR/EWS lower cutoff fell from 162 marks in 2024 to 144 marks in 2025, then jumped to 213 marks in 2026.
- The top score also shifted. It fell from 720 in 2024 to 686 in 2025, then rose again to 715 in 2026.
- The same trend was observed in the case of OBC, SC and ST candidates. Where cut offs for these categories for 2025 were lower (113) than in 2024 (127) but increased in 2026 (177).
- This up-and-down swing usually tracks exam difficulty. A tougher paper lowers the cutoff, since fewer candidates cross each mark threshold. An easier paper raises it.
- The 2026 cutoff jump, combined with fewer candidates appearing, explains part of why fewer candidates qualified this year despite a similar registration count to 2025.
State-wise Qualified Candidates: 2025 vs 2026
| State | 2025 Qualified | 2026 Qualified |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 1,70,684 | 1,70,770 |
| Rajasthan | 1,19,865 | 1,33,140 |
| Maharashtra | 1,25,727 | 1,07,304 |
| Bihar | 80,954 | 68,968 |
| Karnataka | 83,582 | 65,901 |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 533 | 369 |
| Lakshadweep | 154 | 43 |
For NEET UG, which state has the most qualified students? Uttar Pradesh, in both 2025 and 2026, with 1,70,770 candidates qualifying in 2026.
- The state with the highest increase in qualified candidates was Rajasthan, increasing by more than 11 per cent, from 1.19 lakh in 2025 to 1.33 lakh in 2026.
- Maharashtra and Karnataka both saw sharp drops. Maharashtra fell from 1.25 lakh to 1.07 lakh qualified candidates. Karnataka fell from 83,582 to 65,901.
- Bihar also declined, from 80,954 to 68,968 qualified candidates.
- Smaller union territories stayed small. Lakshadweep had just 43 qualified candidates in 2026, down from 154 in 2025. Andaman and Nicobar Islands dropped from 533 to 369.
- The coaching hub states like Kota, in Rajasthan, keep outperforming their population numbers by having qualified candidates.
Nationality-wise and PwBD Data: 2025 vs 2026
| Group | 2025 Qualified | 2026 Qualified |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Nationals | 12,34,991 | 11,19,699 |
| NRI | 405 | 451 |
| OCI | 606 | 581 |
| Foreign Nationals | 529 | 454 |
| PwBD | 3,673 | 3,666 |
NRI candidates were the only group to see qualified numbers rise year over year, growing from 405 in 2025 to 451 in 2026.
- Indian Nationals still make up nearly all qualified candidates, close to 99.9 percent of the total in both years.
- OCI and Foreign National candidates both saw small declines, in line with the overall drop in qualified numbers.
- Despite registering 9,167 to 9,893, the number of PwBD candidates who qualified remained virtually unchanged, with 3,666 in 2026 and 3,673 in 2025.
