Jharkhand is a state in eastern India.[9] The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state.[3] The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites.[10][11] Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in cities as of 2011.

Jharkhand suffers from what is sometimes termed a resource curse: it accounts for more than 4% of India's mineral production but 39.1% of its population is below the poverty line and 19.6% of children under five years of age are malnourished.