The landscape for India’s female entrepreneurs, in charts
On 19 November, the world celebrated the 10th Women's Entrepreneurship Day, an annual effort to bring to the fore the issues faced by women business leaders. In the last official economic census a decade ago, just 14% of all establishments in India were led by women. The share is estimated to have improved since then to over 20%, but the likes of Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Vandana Luthra and Falguni Nayar remain rare examples in an arena flooded with male leaders.
On the bright side, a report released last month pointed out that women-led businesses tend to have more women-friendly policies and fewer workplace barriers. Can India make the world of business more welcoming for its women? Here’s the data. Running a business is risky but more women are making a mark in the country on multiple levels: the recent success of Nykaa, the first Indian unicorn headed by a woman, is one such example.
However, a lot of women-led entrepreneurial activities are also taking place in rural India. Of all women-led establishments, 65% were located in rural areas. Southern states have a larger share of women entrepreneurs.
Nearly 80% of women entrepreneurs are self-financed in the country, the last economic census found. The situation, however, is improving, and a remarkable shift is expected by the end of the decade. By 2030, the share of women entrepreneurs could reach up to 33%, according to a 2019 report by Bain & Company and Google.
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