Uttar Pradesh has the biggest railway network in the country with a railway density of 40 km which is double the rail density of the India.
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India with a population of more than 200 million people. Uttar Pradesh shares its borders with Nepal on the north, the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh on the northwest, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan on the west, Madhya Pradesh on the south, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand on the southeast, and Bihar on the east.
In August 2022, Uttar Pradesh revealed the draft of its Solar Energy Policy-2022, which indicates that the state has a goal of producing 16,000 MW of renewable energy by 2026–27.
Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of food grains in India and accounted for about 17.83% share in the country’s total food grain output in 2016-17. Food grain production in the state stood at 49,903.1 thousand tonnes in 2016-17 and 51,252.7 thousand tonnes in 2017-18. Major food grains produced in the state include rice, wheat, maize, millet (bajra), gram, pea and lentils.
Pulses production in the state stood at 2.56 million tonnes in 2020-21*. Production of vegetables stood 29,940.09 thousand MT in 2021-22*.
The state offers a wide range of subsidies, policy and fiscal incentives as well as assistance for businesses under the Industrial and Service Sector Investment Policy, 2004 and Infrastructure and Industrial Investment Policy, 2012. The state has well-drafted, sector-specific policies for IT and biotechnology. The new Uttar Pradesh Civil Aviation Promotion Policy 2017 was brought to promote investment and trade in Uttar Pradesh and to promote tourism while increased road connectivity along with air connectivity will create more employment avenues.
In 2019, 147 investment intentions worth Rs. 16,799 crore (US$ 2.40 billion) were filed in Uttar Pradesh.
In 2020, the state government rolled out the New Electronics Manufacturing Policy, 2020 and Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy, 2020, to promote the local manufacturing and new startups in the state.
Uttar Pradesh is a favored tourist destination in India with Taj Mahal, one of the eight wonders of the world, located in Agra. The state witnessed rise in tourist arrivals, with 320 million tourists arriving in 2023, and is expected to grow further. The opening of the Ram temple in Jan 2024 significantly increases religious tourism in Uttar Pradesh. According to Jefferies, the Ram temple is projected to attract at least 100 million visitors annually. Additionally, Uttar Pradesh government is also established the UP-Ecotourism Development board. The key objective of the initiative is to promote the state's rich legacy of forests and wetlands to increase tourist footfall while creating jobs for those living around the natural heritage.
At current prices, the gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Uttar Pradesh is estimated to be Rs. 24.99 trillion (US$ 300.01 billion) in 2024-25. The GSDP is expected to increase at a CAGR of 9.05% from 2018-19 to 2024-25. As of March 2024, Uttar Pradesh had an installed power generation capacity of 31,426.33 MW. of 31,426.33 MW. Of this, 7,908.20 MW was from state utilities, 14,773.20 MW (private utilities) and 8,744.93 MW (central utilities). Thermal power contributed 22,517.26 MW to the state’s total installed power generation capacity, followed by 3,424.02 MW (hydropower), 289.48 MW (nuclear power) and 8,619.59 MW (renewable power), as of March 2024. According to Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), cumulative FDI inflow in Uttar Pradesh stood at US$ 1,634.97 million between April 2000-March 2024. Merchandise exports from Uttar Pradesh reached US$ 20.57 billion in FY24 v/s US$ 21.68 billion in FY23. Electronic goods were the leading export category with 22% share of state exports in 2023-24.
Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of food grains in India and accounted for about 17.83% share in the country’s total food grain output in 2016-17. Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs. 19,150 crores (US$ 2.30 billion) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. According to the state government, as many as 1,500 projects worth more than Rs. 70,000 crore (US$ 9.03 billion) are planned to be launched in Uttar Pradesh’s third groundbreaking ceremony to be held in June 2022. Some of these major projects are: