About Indian Economy Growth Rate & Statistics

Introduction

India has emerged as the fastest growing major economy in the world and is expected to be one of the top three economic powers in the world over the next 10-15 years, backed by its robust democracy and strong partnerships.

Market size

India's gross domestic product (GDP) (at constant 2011-12 prices) was estimated to be Rs 145.65 lakh crore (US$ 2.06 trillion) for 2019-20, growing 4.2 per cent over the previous year.

India retained its position as the third largest start-up base in the world with over 8,900-9,300 start-ups as 1,300 new start-ups got incorporated in 2019 according to a report by NASSCOM. India also witnessed the addition of 7 unicorns in 2019 (till August 2019), taking the total tally to 24.

India's labour force is expected to touch 160-170 million by 2020 based on the rate of population growth, increased labour force participation and higher education enrolment among other factors according to a study by ASSOCHAM and Thought Arbitrage Research Institute.

India's foreign exchange reserves reached Rs 37.31 lakh crore (US$ 493.48 billion) in the week up to May 29, 2020 according to the data from RBI.

Recent Developments                                                                                         

With an improvement in the economic scenario, there have been investments across various sectors of the economy. The mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity in India stood at US$ 28 billion in 2019, while private equity (PE) deals reached US$ 48 billion. Some of the important recent developments in Indian economy are as follows:

• Merchandise export and import (in US$ terms) declined by 4.8 per cent and 9.1 per cent, respectively, in 2019-20.
• Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 30.8 in May 2020, showing contraction in the sector because of coronavirus-related restrictions.
• Gross tax revenue stood at Rs 15.04 lakh crore (US$ 215.28 billion) in 2019-20 – income tax collection contributed Rs 4.80 lakh crore (US$ 68.14 billion) to it..
• In 2019, companies in India raised around US$ 2.5 billion through 17 initial public offers (IPO).
• India's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow reached US$ 469.99 billion between April 2000 to March 2020, with maximum contribution from services, computer software and hardware, telecommunications, construction, trading, and automobiles.
• India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for 2019-20 stood at 129.2.
• The combined index of eight core industries stood at 137 in March 2020. Its cumulative growth was 0.6 per cent in 2019-20.
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) – Combined inflation was 5.9 per cent in March 2020 as compared to 6.6 per cent in February 2020. The annual consumer price inflation increased to 4.8 per cent in 2019-20 from 3.4 per cent in 2018-19.
• Around 12 million jobs in a year were created in India during 2015-19.
• India improved its ranking in World Bank's Doing Business Report by 14 spots over last year and was ranked 63 among 190 countries in the 2020 edition of the report.
• India is expected to have 100,000 start-ups by 2025, which will create employment for 3.25 million people and generate US$ 500 billion in value as per Mr T V Mohan Das Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education.

Government Initiatives

The first Union Budget of the third decade of 21st century was presented by Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Ms Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on February 1, 2020.  The budget aimed at energising the Indian economy through a combination of short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures.

Total expenditure for 2020-21 is budgeted at Rs 37.14 lakh crore (US$ 531.53 billion), an increase of 13 per cent from 2019-20 (revised budget estimates).

Numerous foreign companies are setting up their facilities in India on account of various Government initiatives like Make in India and Digital India. Mr Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, launched Make in India initiative with an aim to boost country’s manufacturing sector and increase purchasing power of an average Indian consumer, which would further drive demand and spur development, thus benefiting investors. The Government of India, under its Make in India initiative, is trying to boost the contribution made by the manufacturing sector with an aims to take it to 25 per cent of the GDP from the current 17 per cent. Besides, the Government has also come up with Digital India initiative, which focuses on three core components: creation of digital infrastructure, delivering services digitally and to increase the digital literacy.

Some of the recent initiatives and developments undertaken by the Government are listed below:

• The Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi announced various economic packages, having a cumulative worth of around Rs 20 lakh crore (US$ 283.73 billion) and being almost 10 per cent of India's GDP.
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGK) was introduced in April 2020 to provide relief to underprivileged and help them fight the battle against COVID-19. The budget allocated to the scheme was Rs 1.70 lakh crore (US$ 24.12 billion).
• India is expected to attract investment of around US$ 100 billion in developing the oil and gas infrastructure during 2019-23.

• The Government of India is going to increase public health spending to 2.5 per cent of the GDP by 2025.
• For implementation of Agriculture Export Policy, Government approved an outlay Rs 206.8 crore (US$ 29.59 million) for 2019, aimed at doubling farmers income by 2022.
• Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), Government has sanctioned more than 96.50 lakh houses under PMAY(U) and approved 606 proposals for the construction of 3,31,075 houses with an overall investment of Rs 15,125 crore (US$ 2.16 billion).
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved to increase the authorized capital of Food Corporation of India (FCI) from the existing Rs 3,500 crore (US$ 500.79 million) to Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 1.43 billion).
• India has registered a 26.9 per cent reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) since 2013: Sample Registration System Bulletin-2016.
• Around 26.02 million households were electrified by 31^st March 2019 under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA).  
• In the mid-term review of Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry enhanced the scope of Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) and Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS), increased MEIS incentive for ready-made garments and made-ups by 2 per cent, SEIS incentive by 2 per cent and increased the validity of Duty Credit Scrips from 18 months to 24 months. In April 2020, Government extended FTP for one more year (up to March 31, 2021).

Road Ahead

India's GDP is expected to reach US$ 5 trillion by FY25 and achieve upper-middle income status on the back of digitization, globalization, favorable demographics, and reforms.

India is also focusing on renewable sources to generate energy. It is planning to achieve 40 per cent of its energy from non-fossil sources by 2030, which is currently 30 per cent, and have plans to increase its renewable energy capacity from to 175 gigawatt (GW) by 2022.

India is expected to be the third largest consumer economy as its consumption may triple to US$ 4 trillion by 2025, owing to shift in consumer behavior and expenditure pattern, according to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report. It is estimated to surpass USA to become the second largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) by 2040 as per a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Note: Conversion rate used in April 2020, Rs 1 = US$ 0.013123