OBJECTIVES: Aging population in India is growing faster than other countries in the world. Aging impairs functional independence, impact activities of daily living (ADLs) and reduces quality of life. The goal of this study was to assess functional status and ADLs among aging population of India.  METHODS: The Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) data was used to assess functional status and ADLs in elderly population. Data collected as part of LASI questionnaire on self-reported and European health scale, and Wallace and Herzog ADL scale was analyzed for descriptive statistics and for differences using the Chi square test and ANOVA. A regression analysis was performed to identify relationships between demographic characteristics, functional status and ADLs. A p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.   RESULTS: A total of 1,683 older adults of 950 randomly sampled households were included in this study. Hypertension, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, arthritis and psychiatric conditions were more prevalent with significant regional differences (p< 0.05). Forty percent of respondents had work limiting health conditions. Respondents reporting poor health ranged between 18%-26% on two different health scales. Majority of the respondents reported difficulty with one or more of the five activities such as difficulty in bathing and getting in and out of the bed. Differences in functional status and ADLs were significant among respondents from four different states. Thirty six percent respondents from Kerala had work limiting health conditions and 40% from Karnataka had difficulty with ADLs (p<0.05). Regression analysis showed significant relationship between arthritis, lung disease, health condition limiting work, region of residence and difficulty with ADLs (p<0.05).  CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in functional status and ADLs among aging population of India. The findings of this study can help policy makers to design and implement interventions and policies that help elderly to improve ADLs.