What is the success rate of UPSC Civil Services Examination?

The UPSC Civil Services Examination success rate (recommended candidates as a percentage of registered candidates) is approximately 0.07–0.09%. In CSE 2023, out of 13,07,216 registered candidates, only 1,016 were finally recommended — a success rate of 0.08%. Of candidates who actually appeared in Prelims (5,77,565 in 2023), the recommendation rate was approximately 0.18%. This makes UPSC CSE one of the most competitive examinations in the world.

How many vacancies does UPSC notify each year?

UPSC CSE vacancy notifications vary each year based on government requirements. Recent vacancy counts: 2024 (1,056 posts), 2023 (1,016 posts), 2022 (861 posts), 2021 (712 posts), 2020 (796 posts), 2019 (927 posts). The 2024 notification of 1,056 vacancies represents a significant increase from previous years, driven partly by backlog filling and expansion of IPS and IFS cadres. Vacancies include all services — IAS, IPS, IFS, and various Central Services.

How many candidates appear in UPSC CSE each year?

Approximately 4.5 to 5.8 lakh candidates appear in the UPSC CSE Preliminary examination each year, though many more register. In 2023, 13,07,216 candidates registered but only 5,77,565 (44%) actually appeared. This gap between registration and appearance is consistent across years — roughly 50–60% of registered candidates never appear, often due to inadequate preparation or change of plans. The number of registered candidates has grown steadily from 9.3 lakh in 2019 to 13 lakh in 2023.

What percentage of candidates clear UPSC Mains after Prelims?

Approximately 2.5 times the number of final vacancies are called to the UPSC Mains examination after Prelims. For CSE 2023 with 1,016 vacancies, approximately 14,624 candidates were called to Mains — about 2.5% of those who appeared in Prelims. Of Mains candidates, roughly 2,906 were called for the Personality Test (Interview), and 1,016 were finally recommended. The exact Prelims cutoff varies each year by category (General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS) and is published by UPSC.

UPSC Statistics & Data: CSE Success Rates, Vacancies & Trends

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is one of the most competitive examinations in the world. This page compiles authoritative statistics on registered candidates, success rates, vacancy trends, and stage-wise attrition from 2019 to 2024 — sourced directly from UPSC Annual Reports and official notifications.

Journalists, bloggers, researchers, and UPSC aspirants are welcome to cite and share these statistics freely with attribution to Vaidra (vaidra.in) and the primary source: UPSC Annual Reports (upsc.gov.in).

Key Numbers at a Glance (CSE 2023)

The four headline figures from the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023 illustrate both the scale of the examination and the extreme competition for a limited number of positions.

1.3 Cr

Registered (2023)

13,07,216 total

1,016

Recommended (2023)

IAS, IPS, IFS & others

0.08%

Success Rate (2023)

Of registered candidates

1,056

Vacancies (2024)

Highest since 2019

UPSC CSE Candidates Data: 2019–2023

The table below tracks registered candidates, actual appearances, and final recommendations for each UPSC Civil Services Examination cycle from 2019 to 2023. Success rate is calculated as recommended candidates divided by registered candidates.

Year	Registered	Appeared	Recommended	Success Rate
2023	13,07,216	5,77,565	1,016	0.08%
2022	11,52,827	5,73,735	933	0.08%
2021	10,93,948	5,21,167	712	0.07%
2020	10,58,772	4,82,770	761	0.07%
2019	9,27,546	4,56,094	829	0.09%

Source: UPSC Annual Reports. Success rate = recommended ÷ registered candidates.

UPSC CSE Vacancy Trends: 2019–2024

UPSC notifies vacancies for all services including IAS (Indian Administrative Service), IPS (Indian Police Service), IFS (Indian Foreign Service), and various Central Services. Total vacancies vary year to year based on government requirements, retirements, and backlog filling. The 2024 notification of 1,056 posts is the highest since 2019, making this an important cycle for aspirants.

Year	Total Vacancies	Year-on-Year Change
2024	1,056	+40 (+3.9%)
2023	1,016	+155 (+18.0%)
2022	861	+149 (+20.9%)
2021	712	-84 (-10.6%)
2020	796	-131 (-14.1%)
2019	927	— (baseline)

Source: UPSC official notifications and Annual Reports. Includes all services (IAS, IPS, IFS, Central Services).

Stage-wise Attrition: CSE 2023 Selection Funnel

The UPSC CSE selection process involves three stages: Preliminary examination (objective), Mains examination (written), and Personality Test (interview). Each stage is eliminatory. The following funnel illustrates the dramatic attrition at each stage for CSE 2023, providing a clear picture of the examination's competitiveness.

Registered~13.3 lakh

Candidates who applied

Appeared in Prelims~5.8 lakh

44% of registered candidates

Qualified for Mains~14,624

2.5% of those who appeared

Called for Interview~2,906

~20% of Mains candidates

Finally Recommended1,016

35% of interview candidates

Key insight: Of every 1,000 candidates who register, only approximately 1 is finally recommended for a service. The two biggest drop-off points are between registration and Prelims appearance (56% of registered candidates never appear), and between Prelims appearance and Mains qualification (only 2.5% of those who appear clear Prelims).

Category-wise Vacancy Distribution (Indicative, 2023)

UPSC CSE vacancies are distributed across reservation categories as mandated by the Constitution of India and subsequent legislation. The figures below are indicative for CSE 2023 (1,016 total vacancies) and reflect the standard reservation matrix. Exact category-wise breakdowns are published in the UPSC official notification for each cycle.

Category	Indicative Vacancies	Notes
General (UR)	444	Open competition merit list
OBC	277	27% reservation
SC	152	15% reservation
ST	76	7.5% reservation
EWS	67	10% reservation (post-2019)

Note: Indicative distribution based on standard reservation matrix. Verify exact figures from the UPSC official notification for each cycle.

How Competitive Is UPSC CSE? Context & Analysis

To put these numbers in context: the UPSC Civil Services Examination is frequently cited as one of the three most competitive examinations in the world, alongside the Chinese National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) and South Korea's CSAT. However, unlike those examinations, UPSC CSE is open to candidates up to age 32 (General category) — meaning aspirants invest multiple years preparing.

The average serious UPSC aspirant spends 2–4 years preparing, attends coaching classes (costing ₹1–3 lakh/year in Delhi), and attempts the examination 2–3 times before either succeeding or exhausting attempts. The total number of attempt-years invested by all active aspirants in India at any given time is estimated in the crores.

Against this backdrop, AI-powered platforms like Vaidra represent a structural change: aspirants in Tier-2 cities without access to elite Delhi coaching now have equivalent preparation tools at a fraction of the cost, personalised to their learning pace through AI-driven evaluation and mentoring.

Data Sources & Methodology

All statistics on this page are sourced from UPSC Annual Reports published at upsc.gov.in, and official UPSC Civil Services Examination notifications. Data has been compiled and presented by Vaidra for ease of reference. Last updated February 2026.

Success Rate: Calculated as (Recommended ÷ Registered) × 100. Some sources calculate against “appeared” candidates — that rate would be approximately 0.18% for CSE 2023.
Vacancy Figures: Include all services (IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, IRTS, IPoS, etc.). Exact service-wise breakdown is in the UPSC notification.
Category Distribution: Indicative based on standard reservation matrix (50% reserved: OBC 27%, SC 15%, ST 7.5%, EWS 10%). Actual numbers vary due to carry-forward and exchange of vacancies.

If you cite these statistics, please attribute: “Source: UPSC Annual Reports (upsc.gov.in), compiled by Vaidra (vaidra.in)”.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the success rate of UPSC Civil Services Examination?: The UPSC Civil Services Examination success rate (recommended candidates as a percentage of registered candidates) is approximately 0.07–0.09%. In CSE 2023, out of 13,07,216 registered candidates, only 1,016 were finally recommended — a success rate of 0.08%. Of candidates who actually appeared in Prelims (5,77,565 in 2023), the recommendation rate was approximately 0.18%. This makes UPSC CSE one of the most competitive examinations in the world.
How many vacancies does UPSC notify each year?: UPSC CSE vacancy notifications vary each year based on government requirements. Recent vacancy counts: 2024 (1,056 posts), 2023 (1,016 posts), 2022 (861 posts), 2021 (712 posts), 2020 (796 posts), 2019 (927 posts). The 2024 notification of 1,056 vacancies represents a significant increase from previous years, driven partly by backlog filling and expansion of IPS and IFS cadres. Vacancies include all services — IAS, IPS, IFS, and various Central Services.
How many candidates appear in UPSC CSE each year?: Approximately 4.5 to 5.8 lakh candidates appear in the UPSC CSE Preliminary examination each year, though many more register. In 2023, 13,07,216 candidates registered but only 5,77,565 (44%) actually appeared. This gap between registration and appearance is consistent across years — roughly 50–60% of registered candidates never appear, often due to inadequate preparation or change of plans. The number of registered candidates has grown steadily from 9.3 lakh in 2019 to 13 lakh in 2023.
What percentage of candidates clear UPSC Mains after Prelims?: Approximately 2.5 times the number of final vacancies are called to the UPSC Mains examination after Prelims. For CSE 2023 with 1,016 vacancies, approximately 14,624 candidates were called to Mains — about 2.5% of those who appeared in Prelims. Of Mains candidates, roughly 2,906 were called for the Personality Test (Interview), and 1,016 were finally recommended. The exact Prelims cutoff varies each year by category (General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS) and is published by UPSC.