The present study analyzed the actual evaporation (Ea) and its components [transpiration (Et), bare soil evaporation (Eb), interception loss (Ei), and open water evaporation (Eo)] data to study the long-term (1980-2018) trends over different meteorological sub-divisions in India. Quantitatively, all India annual Ea is 573 mm (σ= 28.8 mm), where Et (µ=455.9 mm; σ= 30.4 mm) plays a major role compared to other evaporation processes like Eb (µ=55.9 mm; σ= 8.6 mm), Ei (µ=33.5mm; σ= 3.4 mm), and Eo (µ=27.2 mm; σ=0.38 mm). The MK test reveals an increasing trend (1.33mm/y) in annual Ea due to the rising trend in Et (1.91mm/y) and Ei (0.16mm/y) even though there is no significant trend in rainfall or potential evaporation (Ep). The sub-division-wise analysis shows the increasing trend in Ea observed over irrigated regions located in the south, north-west, and foothills of the Himalayas during pre-monsoon and monsoon season. The correlation analysis observed a complex relationship between Ea and climatic factors (rainfall (RF), soil moisture (SM), surface temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), surface shortwave radiation (SSR), and wind speed (WS)) during monsoon season such that the water-limited areas have a positive correlation with SM, RH and RF, and negative correlation with WS, T, and SSR, whereas, in energy-limited areas (east India), the Ea showed a positive correlation with SSR & T and negative correlation with RF. The main climatic drivers for the increasing trend of Ea are SM & rainfall over dry regions and SSR &T over densely vegetated regions in India.