The economy of India is a developing mixed economy with a notable public sector in strategic sectors. It is the world's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP); on a per capita income basis, India ranked 136th by GDP (nominal) and 125th by GDP (PPP). From independence in 1947 until 1991, successive governments followed the Soviet model and promoted protectionist economic policies, with extensive Sovietization, state intervention, demand-side economics, natural resources, bureaucrat driven enterprises and economic regulation. This is characterised as dirigism, in the form of the Licence Raj. The end of the Cold War and an acute balance of payments crisis in 1991 led to the adoption of a broad economic liberalisation in India and indicative planning. Since the start of the 21st century, annual average GDP growth has been 6% to 7%., India has about 1,900 public sector companies, Indian state has complete control and ownership of railways, highways; majority control and stake in banking, insurance, farming, dairy, fertilizers & chemicals, airports, nuclear, mining, digitization, defense, steel, rare earths, water, electricity, oil and gas industries and power plants, and has substantial control over digitalization, Broadband as national infrastructure, telecommunication, supercomputing, space, port and shipping industries, among other industries, were effectively nationalised in the mid-1950s.
From 1947 to 2017, the Indian economy was premised on the concept of planning. This was carried through the Five-Year Plans, developed, executed, and monitored by the Planning Commission (1951–2014) and the NITI Aayog (2015–2017).
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is an Indian multinational central public sector life insurance company headquartered in Mumbai. It is India's largest insurance company as well as the largest institutional investor with total assets under management worth ₹52.52 trillion (US$630 billion) as of March 2024. It is under the ownership of Government of India and administrative control of the Ministry of Finance.
The economy of Kerala is the 9th largest in India, with an annual gross state product (GSP) of ₹9.78 lakh crore in 2020–2021. Per-capita GSP of Kerala during the same period is ₹257,711 (US$3,100), the sixth largest in India. In 2019–20, the tertiary sector contributed around 63% of the state's GSVA, compared to 28% by secondary sector, and 8% by primary sector.
The economy of South India after independence in 1947 conformed to a socialist framework, with strict governmental control over private sector participation, foreign trade and foreign direct investment (FDI). Through 1960–1990, South Indian economies experienced mixed economic growth. In the 1960s, Kerala achieved above-average economic growth, while Andhra Pradesh's economy declined during this period. Similarly, Kerala experienced an economic decline in the 1970s while the economies of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka consistently exceeded national average growth rates after 1970. South India first started to overtake the rest of India economically in the 1980s. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were noted by some to be more reform-oriented in terms of economic policy when compared to other Indian states. Over the last decade South India has grown at 8% annually. Future economic growth will be shackled by a relatively low proportion of the active age population to the number of dependents. Today, South India has about 20% of India's population, and contributes about 31% of India's GDP; it is projected to contribute 35% by 2030.
Karnataka is one of the highest economic growth states in India with an expected GSDP growth of 9.5% in the 2021–22 fiscal year. The total expected GSDP of Karnataka in 2022–2023 is about $240 billion. Karnataka recorded the highest growth rates in terms of GDP and per capita GDP in the last decade compared to other states. In 2008–09, the tertiary sector contributed the most to GSDP, followed by the secondary sector, and the primary sector.
The information technology (I.T.) industry in India comprises information technology services and business process outsourcing. The share of the IT-BPM sector in the GDP of India is 7.4% in FY 2022. The IT and BPM industries' revenue is estimated at US$ 245 billion in FY 2023. The domestic revenue of the IT industry is estimated at $51 billion, and export revenue is estimated at $194 billion in FY 2023. The IT–BPM sector overall employs 5.4 million people as of March 2023. In December 2022, Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha informed that IT units registered with state-run Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and Special Economic Zones have exported software worth Rs 11.59 lakh crore in 2021–22.
Bihar has one of the fastest-growing economies in India. It is largely service-based, with a significant share of agricultural and industrial sectors. The GDP of the state was ₹9,76,514 crores at the current market price (2024–25).
The economy of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is primarily dependent on agriculture, which directly and indirectly employs 62% of the population. GSDP as per the first revised estimate, for the year 2023-24 is ₹15,40,000 crore.The state is ranked 1st in the country for the year 2021-22 in terms of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth at constant prices with growth rate of 11.43%. The state GSDP is expected to grow at a rate of 17% for the year 2023-24.
The economy of Odisha is one of the fastest growing economies in India. According to 2023-24 economic survey, Odisha's gross state domestic product (GSDP) was expected to grow at 10.57%. Odisha has an agriculture-based economy which is in transition towards an industry and service-based economy.
Uttarakhand's gross state domestic product for 2024 is estimated at around $40 billion in current prices. Born out of partition of Uttar Pradesh, the new state of Uttarakhand is today around 13 percent of the GSDP of Uttar Pradesh state.
The economy of Indore is notable for its importance in the areas of trading, finance and distribution in Madhya Pradesh. Indore has the largest economy in Madhya Pradesh and is the business and trading capital of the state. Pithampur Industrial Area, near Indore houses more than 1200 industrial units. Pithampur is a part of Indore Metropolitan Region, though its economic contributions are not accounted in Indore District. Located at the crossroads of western and central India, Indore has relatively good connectivity and has been the hub of trade and commerce, not only for the state but also for western India. Cotton textiles are the city's major product, but iron and steel, chemicals, and machinery are also manufactured there. The textile industry is in decline and is being replaced by a variety of new manufacturing industries. Still it is one of the largest textile industries in India. Old-time industries which flourished in Indore were handloom, hand dyeing, manufacture of niwar, oil extraction by ghani, manufacture of bamboo mats, baskets, metal utensils, embossing and engraving of gold and silver ornaments, shellac industry, etc. Ayurvedic and Unani medicines from roots and herbs were manufactured under state patronage. Indore has one of the largest trans-shipment centers for truck transport.
Telangana is one of the fastest-growing states in India posing average annual growth rate of 13.90% over the last five years. Telangana's nominal gross state domestic product for the year 2020-21 stands at ₹13.59 lakh crore. Service sector is the largest contributor to the Telangana's economy with a share of about 65% in the year 2018-19. Growth in services has largely been fuelled by IT services with the State holding leading position in IT & ITeS in the country in terms of production and exports.
A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an entity based in another country. It is thus distinguished from a foreign portfolio investment by a notion of direct control. Broadly, foreign direct investment includes "mergers and acquisitions, building new facilities, reinvesting profits earned from overseas operations, and intra company loans". FDI is the sum of equity capital, long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. FDI usually involves participation in management, joint-venture, transfer of technology and expertise. Stock of FDI is the net cumulative FDI for any given period. Direct investment excludes investment through purchase of shares.
Financial technology is an industry composed of companies that use technology to offer financial services. These companies operate in insurance, asset management and payment, and numerous other industries. FinTech has emerged as a relatively new industry in India in the past few years. The Indian market has witnessed massive investments in various sectors adopting FinTech, which has been driven partly by the robust and effective government reforms that are pushing the country towards a digital economy. It has also been aided by the growing internet and smartphone penetration, leading to the adoption of digital technologies and the rise of FinTech in the country
In the early twenty-first century; foreign investment, government regulations and incentives promoted growth in the Indian electronics industry. The semiconductor industry, which is its most important and resource-intensive sector, profited from the rapid growth in domestic demand. Many industries, including telecommunications, information technology, automotive, engineering, medical electronics, electricity and solar photovoltaic, defense and aerospace, consumer electronics, and appliances, required semiconductors. However, as of 2015, progress was threatened by the talent gap in the Indian sector, since 65 to 70 percent of the market was dependent on imports.
The economy of Delhi is the 12th largest among states and union territories of India. The Nominal GSDP of the NCR was estimated at 272.603 Billion and the Nominal GSDP of the NCT of Delhi for 2023-24 was estimated at ₹11.07 lakh crore (US$130 billion) recording an annual growth of 9.2%. Growth rate in 2014-15 was 9.2%. In 2020-21, the tertiary sector contributed 85% of Delhi's GSDP followed by the secondary and primary sectors at 12% and 3% respectively. The services sector recorded an annual growth of 7.3%. Delhi is the largest commercial centre in northern India. As of 2021, recent estimates of the economy of the urban area of Delhi have ranged from $370 billion and it has $272.603 billion as ranking it either the most or second-most productive metro area of India.
The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry or consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is mainly responsible for producing, distributing and marketing fast-moving consumer goods. The FMCG industry is the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy. Household and personal care products accounts for 50% of the sales in the industry, healthcare accounts for 31-32% and food and beverage accounts for the remaining 18-19%.
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India has been largely disruptive. India's growth in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2020 went down to 3.1% according to the Ministry of Statistics. The Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India said that this drop is mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic effect on the Indian economy. Notably, India had also been witnessing a pre-pandemic slowdown, and according to the World Bank, the current pandemic has "magnified pre-existing risks to India's economic outlook".
India has growing data centre industry. Data centers are used for national security, internet infrastructure, and economic output. As of 2024, India's data centre capacity is at 950 MW, which is expected to be 1800 MW by 2026. The data centre industry is valued at US$1.2 billion in 2021, a 216% growth from $385 million in 2014. The number of data centres in India is 138, as of March 2022. India ranks 13th globally in terms of highest number of data centres.
