Direct employment opportunities from recognized Indian startups have surged by 36.1% year-on-year, totaling 23.36 lakh jobs. Almost half of these startups have at least one woman director or partner, highlighting India’s diverse innovation landscape.
India boasts a robust startup ecosystem with more than 2 lakh DPIIT-recognized startups as of December 2025, positioning itself as a global leader in startup initiatives. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade certified over 55,200 entities in FY 2025-26, marking the highest annual addition since the program’s inception.
Celebrating 11 years of Digital India, the program continues to expand services to millions while spearheading advancements in AI infrastructure, semiconductor capacity, and advanced electronics. India’s Global Innovation Index ranking has significantly improved, climbing from 81 in 2015 to 38 in 2025, with 2,23,000 recognized startups propelling innovation-driven growth.
In its tenth year, the unified payments interface (UPI) has revolutionized India’s financial sector, processing 24,162 crore transactions in FY 2025-26. UPI now dominates 81% of India’s digital payments and nearly half of global real-time digital transactions, solidifying India’s global leadership in real-time payments.
India’s digital progress continues with 106.58 crore broadband subscribers as of March 2026 and BharatNet linking 2.18 lakh Gram Panchayats with high-speed broadband, extending digital access to rural areas. The 5G network covers 99.9% of districts, supported by 4.74 lakh towers, and the launch of the National Data Centre for the North East Region in Guwahati enhances digital infrastructure and data sovereignty.
