Every year approximately eight to eleven lakhs students appear in the civil services exam. Do you know how many candidates can become an IAS officer or even able to clear the exam? Read this article till the end to know statistics related to the UPSC exam.
UPSC Prelims Statistics
Here are the number of students who appeared in Prelims in past years.
| Year | Number of candidates every year |
| 2019 | 4,93,972 lakhs |
| 2018 | 500484 |
| 2017 | 462848 |
| 2016 | 459659 |
| 2015 | 465882 |
In 2020 many students decided to skip the exam due to the current pandemic. In Lucknow, more than 50% of students didn’t appear for the exam. Many candidates couldn’t appear for the exam due to a lack of transportation.
Also Read: Will UPSC Give an Extra Attempt in 2021? UPSC Latest News
UPSC Officers vacancies
Vacancy for IAS officers is fixed but for other sectors, it keeps changing up or down every year. Here are the vacancies for previous years
| Service | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
| Indian Administrative Service | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180 |
| Indian Foreign Service | 42 | 45 | 45 | 32 | 32 |
| Indian Police Service | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 | 150 |
| Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’ | 29 | 29 | 22 | 16 | 25 |
| Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 25 |
| Indian Customs & Central Excise Service, Group ‘A’ | 41 | 104 | 230 | 200 | 230 |
| Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’ | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 19 |
| Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’ | 180 | 200 | 180 | 180 | 180 |
| Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’ | 27 | 23 | 27 | 32 | 28 |
| Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’ | 19 | 9 | 4 | 28 | 7 |
| Indian Corporate Law Service, Group “A” | 10 | 30 | 20 | 6 | 8 |
| Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade) | 67 | 218 | 53 | 240 | 74 |
UPSC Exam
From the above vacancies and the number of candidates appearing for Mains every year we see that the probability of cracking the exam is almost 0.2 per cent. But that’s okay. Don’t get demotivated by the odds. If you really want to achieve your dreams then just give your 100 per cent. There is a huge difference between the number of candidates applying and the number of candidates appearing in Prelims.
Here are some statistics on the number of candidates passing the prelims in past years.
| Year | Number of Candidates Appearing in Mains |
| 2019 | 11845 |
| 2018 | 10419 |
| 2017 | 13300 |
| 2016 | 15382 |
| 2015 | 15008 |
Also Read: Can IAS Officers Go Abroad for Holiday? UPSC IAS Officer Holiday Rules
Conclusion
In 2020 UPSC announced a total of 796 vacancies for UPSC officers. Vacancy depends upon the requirements of several ministries. For IAS officers most of the time seats available are 180. Many candidates missed the UPSC exam this year due to Covid. In Lucknow, more than 50% of students missed the exam.
The probability of one candidate becoming an officer is 0.2 % per cent. But that shouldn’t stop you from achieving your dreams. All you need is proper guidance and a smart way of organizing your studies.
