The Indian Human Microbiome Initiative (IHMI) is a pioneering national effort to study the microbial landscape of India’s richly varied communities. By sampling over 4,080 healthy individuals from 17 culturally and ecologically distinct groups, IHMI offers the first large-scale insight into how traditional diets, regional environments, and genetic ancestry influence gut microbial ecosystems.

IHMI represents a foundational framework for advancing global microbiome science by systematically characterizing population-specific microbial signatures from an underrepresented region. It aims to inform precision nutrition and microbiome-guided healthcare solutions tailored specifically to Indian populations bridging a major representation gap in international microbiome studies.