India’s research and insights industry is projected to maintain a growth rate of around 10% in the financial year 2026, following a rise to Rs 29,008 crore in FY25, marking a 10.9% increase year-on-year. The Market Research Society of India report anticipates the sector to reach approximately Rs 32,500 crore, driven by the growing international demand for integrated insight delivery and AI for enhanced analysis.
The report highlights that the industry’s growth signifies a shift towards a more developed and diversified research and insight market, characterized by increased access to analytics services and changing trends in manufacturing and consumer demand. It emphasizes the shift from traditional data delivery to integrated, AI-enabled insights, enabling businesses to act swiftly and accurately.
According to Nitin Kamat, Chief Growth & Partnerships Officer at TAM Media Research and President at Market Research Society of India, the industry is expected to progress towards broader adoption of advanced analytics and agentic AI, positioning India as a leader in providing actionable strategic intelligence globally. Analytics emerged as the largest and fastest-growing segment in FY25, constituting nearly 60% of the market and expanding by 14%, with a significant portion of the demand being fueled by international clients.
The report also notes that the increased utilization of predictive modeling, customer lifetime value analysis, and econometrics has been instrumental in driving this growth. While traditional services like social media and web analytics have matured, the advent of digital platforms, cloud infrastructure, and AI-driven solutions has facilitated greater scalability, with Agentic AI facilitating autonomous, real-time insights and continuous optimization. Custom market research experienced an 8% growth, while syndicated research saw a surge of 6%, with challenges observed in media measurement due to the evolving landscape of digital and streaming platforms.
