As January 2026, over *** thousand startups had been officially recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). India’s startup economy has been growing since 2016 with businesses mushrooming rapidly across the country. To support and sustain its growth, the Indian government launched the Startup India initiative.
Business environment in India
India’s economy comprises of a vast number of businesses that are predominantly micro enterprises, with more than half of them based in rural areas. The Indian government defines a startup as an entity less than ten years old with an annual turnover under *** billion Indian rupees and headquartered in India. Owing to a host of funding deals and investment schemes, startups in India have spread across several key sectors primarily those of technology and ecommerce.
Leading startup sectors and unicorns
E-commerce, enterprise tech, and fintech remained the top-performing sectors in 2025. The bright spot in the year was deeptech which received increased investor interest with more funding deals than the preceding year.
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The Economic Times. (March 11, 2026). Number of government recognized startups in India from 2016 to 2026 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from /statistics/1155602/india-start-up-recognized-businesses/
The Economic Times. "Number of government recognized startups in India from 2016 to 2026." Chart. March 11, 2026. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 22, 2026. /statistics/1155602/india-start-up-recognized-businesses/
The Economic Times. (2026). Number of government recognized startups in India from 2016 to 2026. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2026. /statistics/1155602/india-start-up-recognized-businesses/
The Economic Times. "Number of Government Recognized Startups in India from 2016 to 2026." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 11 Mar 2026, /statistics/1155602/india-start-up-recognized-businesses/
The Economic Times, Number of government recognized startups in India from 2016 to 2026 ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1155602/india-start-up-recognized-businesses/ (last visited July 22, 2026)
Number of government recognized startups in India from 2016 to 2026 [Graph], The Economic Times, March 11, 2026. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1155602/india-start-up-recognized-businesses/
