Parliament Question: First time Retail Traders

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 35 TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2026/ MAGHA 13, 1947 (SAKA) FIRST TIME RETAIL TRADERS

35. SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA:

Will the Minister of Finance be pleased to state:

(a) the number of new retail traders in the country during the last five years along with their average profit or loss in their portfolio, age-wise;

(b) whether the Government has taken any steps to raise awareness among first-time traders to mitigate risky or misinformed investment decisions and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the details of any surveys/assessments conducted regarding financial literacy among first- time traders;

(d) the data of new traders involved in short-term investments versus long-term investments, along with their average profit or loss ratio, year-wise; and

(e) whether the Government has found any correlation between the age of a new investor and the likelihood of participation in short-term trading, including derivatives and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER FINANCE MINISTER (SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN) Ans (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 35 RAISED BY SHRI. CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA, HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026 REGARDING “FIRST TIME RETAIL TRADERS”.

(a) Over the last five years, the number of unique individual investors* has increased from 5.1 Cr in FY 2021 to 12.5 Cr in FY 2025. The age distribution of new investors in CY25: below 30 years 55.9%, 30–39 years 23.5%, 40–49 years 12.2%, 50–59 years 5.5%, above 60 years

2.9%.

Data regarding the age wise average profit or loss incurred by new retail traders in their portfolio is not available with SEBI.

(b) To promote awareness and education among first-time and existing investors, SEBI conducted 35,734 investor awareness programmes in FY 2024–25 across 724 districts in 36 States and Union Territories. These programmes focus on risks in the securities market, responsible investing, investor rights and obligations, do’s and don’ts of investing, and protection against scams and frauds, including cyber and digital fraud. SEBI has also launched the SEBI vs. SCAM campaign to counter misleading information on social and messaging platforms, and provides investor education through its dedicated website and the Saa₹thi mobile app.

(c) SEBI has commissioned a nationwide Investor Survey 2025 covering over 90,000 households across 400 cities and 1,000 villages, to understand the current penetration and awareness of securities market across India. No surveys or assessments specific to first- time traders were conducted by SEBI.

(d) and (e ) The information on investment patterns and age of investors is not available with SEBI. *Unique individual investor includes unique PANs (individuals, sole proprietorship, NRIs and HUFs- all except institutions) present in active accounts with non-zero holding.

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