New Delhi: Nearly two out of five NEET (UG) candidates this year came from just four states, highlighting India’s concentration of medical education aspirants even as the overall exam base continues to expand. Data from the National Testing Agency (NTA) state-wise report for NEET (UG) 2026 shows that Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Bihar together had around 9.4 lakh candidates, or 41.4% of the total 22.7 lakh candidates who appeared for the exam. Overall participation was high. Out of 22.7 lakh candidates, more than 22 lakh appeared, i.e. the attendance rate was 96.9%. A total of 69,976 candidates were absent, or 3% of the allotted centres. The four largest states also top the list individually. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest allotment with around 3.6 lakh candidates, followed by Maharashtra with 2.2 lakh, Rajasthan with 2 lakh and Bihar with 1.5 lakh. Other high-volume states include Karnataka (1.5 lakh), Tamil Nadu (1.4 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (1.2 lakh), Kerala (1.1 lakh) and West Bengal (1 lakh). Overall, the top nine states – from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal – had more than 17 lakh candidates, or nearly three-fourth of the total pool, indicating an intense rush of candidates into the limited group of large states. In contrast, many smaller states and union territories reported allocation of less than 5,000 candidates, underscoring the uneven geographical spread of participation. But attendance levels were consistently high across all states. Gujarat recorded the highest attendance rate at 98.1%, followed by Puducherry at 98% and Rajasthan at 97.9%. Among larger states, Uttar Pradesh (97.5%) and Maharashtra (97.4%) also reported strong turnout. Among major states, Kerala had the lowest attendance rate at 94.4%, followed by Assam (95.1%) and Tamil Nadu (95.9%).