Snapshot:

• The estimated number of establishments increased from 7.34 crore in ASUSE 2023–24 (October 2023–September 2024) to 7.92 crore during in ASUSE 2025 (January–December 2025), reflecting a growth of about 7.97 per cent during the period.
• Employment in the sector grew by 6.18%, with more than 74.52 lakh new jobs being added during the period.
• Gross value Added (GVA) also grew by 10.87% (at current price) during this period over ASUSE 2023-24. This growth has been primarily driven by 16.77% growth in trade sector followed by 8.52% growth in manufacturing and 7.36% growth in other services sectors.
•  The emolument per hired worker increased by 3.88% in 2025 compared to the previous ASUSE 2023-24, signalling improvements in wage levels.
• Women-owned proprietary establishments remained substantial at 27%, up from 26.2% in the previous round (ASUSE 2023-24).
• The share of establishments using internet increased significantly from 26.7% in ASUSE 2023–24 to 39.4% in ASUSE 2025, highlighting the growing digital integration of the sector.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the results of Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) for 2025 for the reference period January, 2025 - December, 2025 referred to as ASUSE 2025 in this press note. 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 an important pillar of the Indian economy, contributing significantly to employment generation and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector sustains livelihoods for millions of people and supports the production and distribution of goods and services across the country. By complementing the activities of the incorporated sector and strengthening domestic value chains, it plays a crucial role in the overall socio-economic development of the country.

The Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) is conducted with the primary objective of measuring the economic and operational characteristics of unincorporated non-agricultural establishments engaged in manufacturing, trade and other services sectors (excluding construction). The survey collects information on key economic indicators such as number of workers, Gross Value Added (GVA), emoluments paid, fixed assets owned and outstanding loans, along with operational characteristics such as type of ownership, nature of operation, registration status and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The survey data serves as an important input for policymaking, supporting compilation of National Accounts Statistics, and meets the information needs of Ministries such as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Textiles, etc., while enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions.

Key highlights from the ASUSE 2025 results:

The ASUSE 2025 results highlight a steady expansion of the unincorporated non-agricultural sector reflected in growth in establishments, employment, and productivity, indicating the sector's resilience and sustained momentum.

Growth in Establishments, Gross Value Added and Productivity Metrics:

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. This increase reflects broad-based expansion across sectors and highlights the steady growth of the unincorporated non-agricultural sector.

During the same period, the Gross Value Added (GVA) which is a key indicator of economic performance rose by 10.87% driven by 16.77% growth in trade sector followed by 8.52% growth in manufacturing and 7.36% growth in other services sectors. Among the broad sectors, however, other services sector had the highest share in GVA (42%) followed by trade (37%) and manufacturing (21%).

Gross Value Added (GVA) per worker which is a measure of labour productivity of the sector, rose to Rs. 1,56,539 in 2025 from. Rs. 1,49,742 in 2023-24 in current prices showing a 4.54% increase. During the same period, the Gross Value Added (GVA) per establishment also increased from Rs. 2,45,687 to  Rs. 2,52,699.

Strong Labour Market Performance

The sector employed about 12.81 crore workers during January-December 2025, adding more than 74.52 lakh jobs from 2023-24 (Oct 23 – Sept 24) reflecting robust labour market expansion. Among the broad activities, "Other Services" sector showed the highest growth of 7.40% generating about 35 lakh new employment.

Women-Led Enterprises Rise as Worker Earnings Improve

The percentage of female-owned proprietary establishments increased marginally from 26.2 per cent in 2023–24 to 27.0 per cent in ASUSE 2025 pointing to an encouraging trend in women-led enterprises.

The emolument per hired worker increased by 3.88% in 2025 compared to the previous ASUSE 2023-24, signalling improvements in wage levels. The highest increase in this metric was observed in trade sector which recorded a growth of about 8.5%.

Better Digital Penetration

Percentage of establishments using internet has also grown significantly from 26.7% in 2023-24 to 39.4% in ASUSE 2025. This substantial growth reflects a strong trend toward digital adoption among establishments, highlighting the increasing reliance on the internet for business operations.

Annual estimates of key indicators (value figures in current price), of ASUSE 2022-23, ASUSE 2023-24 and ASUSE 2025 are given in Table 1 below. The annual estimates for ASUSE 2025 for the broad activity categories are provided in the factsheet which is available in the website of the Ministry (https://www.mospi.gov.in). Further, interactive tables and visualizations on ASUSE results may be accessed on the Data Catalogue section of https://esankhyiki.mospi.gov.in/. Report of ASUSE 2025 as well as unit level data will be released in April, 2026 with detailed insights from the survey.

           *pertaining to market establishments

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 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 addition to 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 area frame and establishments have been listed in the selected FSUs of both rural and urban sector. 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:

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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