**Executive Summary**
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the detailed results and unit-level data of the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) for 2025. Covering the period from January to December 2025, the report highlights significant growth in establishments, employment, and digital adoption within the non-agricultural sector. The detailed report and interactive data visualizations are now available on the MoSPI website for policy formulation and economic analysis.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Sectoral Growth and Economic Performance**
* The total number of unincorporated non-agricultural establishments grew by 7.97%, rising from 7.34 crore in 2023-24 to 7.92 crore in 2025.
* Gross Value Added (GVA) increased by 10.87% at current prices, led by a 16.77% growth in the trade sector.
* Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra reported the highest number of establishments and workforce engagement.
**Labor Market and Women Empowerment**
* The sector employs approximately 12.81 crore workers, adding over 74.52 lakh jobs compared to the previous survey period.
* Women comprise 29% of the total workforce, with a notable concentration in the manufacturing of wearing apparel.
* Over 60% of manufacturing establishments are headed by female proprietors, reflecting the sector's role in women’s empowerment.
**Digital Adoption and Registration**
* Overall internet usage for business purposes rose from 26.68% to 39.37%, with nearly 50% of urban traders utilizing the internet.
* Establishment registration increased marginally to 37.50%, indicating a steady trend toward formalization.
**Financial Inclusion and Capital Investment**
* Average fixed assets per establishment increased to ₹3,42,242, signaling improved capital investment.
* Approximately 80% of outstanding loans were sourced through institutional channels, such as commercial banks and government schemes, showing reduced dependence on informal credit.
**Survey Methodology and Coverage**
* The survey covered all of India (except specific remote areas of Andaman and Nicobar) using a multi-stage stratified sampling scheme.
* The sample size was increased by 1.5 times to 6,70,289 establishments to enable the production of quarterly and district-level estimates.
* Data collection was modernized using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) on tablets.
**Impact Analysis**
**Unincorporated Non-Agricultural Establishments**
**Impact**
These enterprises are seeing increased formalization, better access to formal credit, and a significant shift toward digital business operations.
**Action Required**
Establishments should continue to adopt digital tools and leverage institutional credit facilities to sustain their growth momentum.
**Government Ministries and Policymakers (e.g., MSME, Textiles)**
**Impact**
The release of unit-level data and quarterly estimates provides a robust evidence base for National Accounts Statistics and targeted industrial policy.
**Action Required**
Ministries must utilize the newly available data and factsheets on the MoSPI website to refine policies and support sector-specific expansion.
**Women Entrepreneurs and Workers**
**Impact**
The data validates the critical role of women, particularly in the manufacturing sector, where they lead the majority of units.
**Action Required**
Female proprietors should continue to utilize government schemes and institutional financing to expand their establishments and hiring capabilities.
Key Entities Referenced
Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE): The primary survey initiative capturing economic and operational characteristics of India's unincorporated non-agricultural establishments in manufacturing, trade, and services.
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI): The nodal ministry responsible for conducting the ASUSE, releasing its results, and managing the National Accounts Statistics.
National Statistical Office (NSO): The technical body within MoSPI responsible for publishing the survey results and the 'Know Your Survey' user guide.
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME): A key government department that utilizes ASUSE data for informed decision-making and policymaking regarding small businesses.
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation
7.92 crore unincorporated non-agricultural
establishments driving economic expansion
60% of manufacturing units are led by female entrepreneurs
Over 50% of traders use internet to run businesses
Posted On: 06 MAY 2026 4:00PM by PIB Delhi
Snapshot:
Unincorporated Sector has witnessed significant growth in estimated number of
establishments (by 7.97%), estimated number of workers (by 6.18%) and in GVA (by
10.87%) during January, 2025 – December, 2025 (ASUSE 2025) as compared to October,
2023 - September, 2024 (ASUSE 2023-24).
Over the two survey periods, the sector has demonstrated enhanced capital investment,
greater financial inclusion, and a stronger trend toward digital adoption.
Female proprietors in the Manufacturing sector headed more than 60% of the
establishments during the survey period, while women accounted for around 29% of the
total workforce.
Overall, around 80% of the outstanding loan has been routed through different
institutional sources, including commercial banks and government schemes indicating
better access and greater dependence on formal credit.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the key results of the
Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) for the reference period of January
2025 to December 2025 (ASUSE 2025) in the form of a factsheet, on 24th March 2026 through a press
note. The detailed report and unit level data of the survey are now being released through this press
note. These are now available in the website of the Ministry (https://www.mospi.gov.in). Further,
interactive tables and visualizations on previous ASUSE results may be accessed on the Data Catalogue
section of https://esankhyiki.mospi.gov.in/.
A brief overview of the survey in terms of coverage, sampling strategy, data collection mechanism, etc.,
is provided in the Endnote.
The unincorporated non-agricultural sector is a vital component of the Indian economy, generating
large-scale employment, supporting livelihoods, and contributing significantly to GDP while
complementing the organized sector. ASUSE captures key economic and operational characteristics of
establishments in manufacturing, trade, and services (excluding construction). It provides essential data
for policymaking, National Accounts Statistics, and informed decision-making by ministries such as
MSME and Textiles.Key highlights from ASUSE 2025 results
ASUSE 2025 results highlight significant growth in all important metrics in the unincorporated non-
agricultural sector over ASUSE 2023-24, reflecting the sector’s resilience and sustained momentum.
Growth in Establishments and Gross Value Added
The total number of establishments in the sector increased substantially from 7.34 crore in ASUSE
2023-24 (Oct 23 – Sept 24) to 7.92 crore in ASUSE 2025 (Jan 25 -Dec 25), representing a healthy
7.97% growth. Among the broad sectors covered, the number of establishments in the "Other Services’
sector recorded a robust growth of 10.29%, followed by a 6.48% increase witnessed by the
Manufacturing sector and 6.18% by Trade sector.
Around half of the establishments in this sector were engaged in either retail trade (around 26%) or in
manufacturing of wearing apparel (around 12%) or other community, social and personal service
activities (around 12%) according to ASUSE 2025. Among the major states, the highest number of
establishments (rural and urban combined) has been reported in Uttar Pradesh, followed by West
Bengal and Maharashtra during the same period.
During the same period, the Gross Value Added (GVA), which is a key indicator of economic
performance, rose by 10.87% in current prices, driven by 16.77% growth in trade sector followed by
8.52% growth in manufacturing and 7.36% growth in other services sectors.
Labour Market Expansion with Rising Share of Female Workers and Proprietors
The unincorporated non-agricultural sector employed about 12.81 crore workers between January
2025 and December 2025, adding more than 74.52 lakh jobs from 2023-24 (Oct 23 – Sept 24),
reflecting robust labour market expansion. More than one-third of this workforce was engaged in the
states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
Female workers accounted for about 29% of the total workforce in the sector. Of the total female
workers, nearly 22% were engaged in the manufacturing of wearing apparel. Additionally, female
proprietors headed over 60% of establishments in the manufacturing sector. Overall, the percentage of
female headed proprietary establishments increased marginally from 26.17% in ASUSE 2023-24 to
26.93% in ASUSE 2025. These trends indicate a notable presence and growing participation of women
in the unincorporated sector, both as workers and as entrepreneurs reflecting increasing role of the
sector in women empowerment. Nearly 72 percent of female-led hired-worker establishments engaged
at least one female hired worker, highlighting their role in generating employment opportunities for
women.
Figure 1 illustrates the percentages of female headed proprietary establishments across different broad
activity categories over the two survey periods (ASUSE 2023-24 and ASUSE 2025).Top Three Activity Categories: Share of Establishments and Workers
Among the activity categories, it is observed that other retail trade, manufacturing of wearing apparel
and other community, social and personal services have reported the largest number of establishments
and engaged maximum number of workers at all-India level in ASUSE 2025. The percentage share of
these three activity categories in estimated number of total establishments and total workers is given in
Table 1.
Table1: Percentage share of establishments and workers in respect of top 3 activity categories
Activity Category Number of Establishments Number of Workers
ASUSE 23- ASUSE 2025 ASUSE 23- ASUSE
24 24 2025
Other Retail Trade 27.07 26.49 27.46 27.55
Manufacture of 12.17 11.68 9.22 8.67
Wearing Apparel
Other Community, 10.90 11.60 8.93 9.51
Social and Personal
Service Activities
Improved Registration and Digital Adoption
Percentage of registered establishments has increased marginally from 37.20% in ASUSE 2023-24 to
37.50% in ASUSE 2025 indicating a slow but steady growth in the registration of enterprises within the
sector.
Use of internet, for entrepreneurial purposes, has increased from 17.94% in 2023-24 to 31.06% in
2025 in rural and from 37.01% to 48.94% in urban sector. Overall, it increased from 26.68% to 39.37%
during ASUSE 2025 as compared to ASUSE 2023-24. Among the broad activity categories, more than50% of trading establishments have used internet for entrepreneurial purpose during the period Jan-
Dec, 2025. This substantial growth reflects a strong trend toward digital adoption among
establishments, highlighting the increasing reliance on the internet for business operations.
Figure 2, given below shows the change in usage of internet in ASUSE 2025 as compared to ASUSE
2023-24 by type of establishment.
Greater Capital Investment, Better Financial Inclusion
Average fixed assets per unincorporated non-agricultural establishment increased from
₹3,24,075 in ASUSE 2023–24 to ₹3,42,242 in ASUSE 2025, indicating improved capital investment
in the sector. More than 80% of the outstanding loans of establishments were sourced through
institutional channels, indicating improved access to formal finance.
Endnote: A brief about the coverage, sampling scheme, sample size and data collection
mechanism in the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE):
A. Coverage of ASUSE:
A.1. Geographically, ASUSE covers the rural and urban areas of the whole of India (except the
villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are difficult to access).
A.2. Sector-wise, this survey captures unincorporated non-agricultural establishments belonging to
three sectors viz., Manufacturing, Trade and Other Services.
A.3. Ownership-wise, unincorporated non-agricultural establishments pertaining to proprietorship,
partnership (excluding Limited Liability Partnerships), co-operatives, societies/trusts etc. have been
covered in ASUSE.
B. Sampling Scheme:
The survey has been conducted following a multi-stage stratified sampling scheme, where first stage
units (FSUs) are census villages in rural area (except for rural Kerala, where Panchayat wards have
been taken as FSUs) and UFS (Urban Frame Survey) blocks in urban areas. The ultimate stage units
(USUs) are establishments for both the sectors. In the case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of
sampling has been done in the form of hamlet groups in rural and sub-blocks in urban.
The sampling design of ASUSE 2025 has been revised to enable quarterly selection of sample units.
To facilitate this shift, the sample size has been increased by approximately 1.5 times over the
previous survey. This improvement also makes it possible to produce quarterly estimates in additionto annual results. By adopting districts within a state as the basic strata, the design also allows
participating states to generate annual estimates at the district level.
C. Sample Size:
In ASUSE 2025, data were collected from a total of 6,70,289 establishments (2,94,144 in rural and
3,76,145 in urban) pertaining to 24,153 surveyed FSUs (10,219 in rural and 13,934 in urban).
D. Data Collection Mechanism:
ASUSE 2025 has been conducted based on an area frame and establishments have been listed in the
selected FSUs of both the rural and urban sectors. Mostly, data were collected from the selected
establishments through oral enquiry pertaining to the ‘monthly’ reference period, barring a few big
establishments, which had provided annual data from their audited Books of Accounts. The data for
the survey were collected in tablet using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI).
E. Know your Survey- ASUSE:
The Factsheet and Detailed Report of Scan QR code to access MoSPI Publications/
ASUSE 2025 (January, 2025 – December, Reports
2025) is available on the website of the
Ministry (https://www.mospi.gov.in)
For more detailed understanding of the objectives, coverage, concepts, methodology and data quality
practices of ASUSE in a simple, transparent, user-friendly language, one may refer to the Know Your
Survey: A User Guide to the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) published
by NSO, MOSPI and available on the website of the ministry (https://www.mospi.gov.in).
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