Business EconomyPosted at: Apr 8 2026 5:13PM

New Delhi, Apr 8 (UNI) More women are borrowing to establish businesses, according to the latest NITI Aayog report on India’s Credit Market released on Tuesday.
Between 2022 and 2025, women seeking loans for business recorded a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 31 per cent, higher than the overall 17 per cent surge in the commercial credit category.
Acknowledging increased women’s participation as an indicator of economic development, Nidhi Chhibber, CEO, NITI Aayog, said, “Women borrowers are moving beyond entry-level credit towards retail and business-purpose lending, indicating strengthening financial capability and deeper economic integration.”
The report noted that between December 2017 and December 2025, the number of credit-active women borrowers registered a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9 per cent, while credit penetration among women increased from 19 pc to 36 pc.
Women’s credit exposure has multiplied by nearly fivefold between 2017 and 2025, growing from Rs 16 lakh crores to Rs 76 lakh crores, the study reported.
With nearly 45 crore credit-eligible women in India, the potential for further expansion remains significant, the report stated.
Applauding the shift in India’s economic landscape, Anna Roy, Programme Director, NITI Aayog, and Mission Director, Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), said, “What is particularly encouraging is not just the increase in access, but the way women are moving across credit segments and engaging more actively with formal financial systems.”
Northern states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, showed more women getting access to loans, alongside southern and western states, indicative of geographical expansion to credit access to females.
Despite commercial credit recording an increase among women, personal and gold loans continue to be the most widely accessed products, while housing loans are witnessing encouraging growth, indicating rising asset ownership among women.
Rapid digitisation across identity, payments, underwriting and loan servicing has the potential to reduce entry barriers and enable women’s transition from informal borrowing to formal, structured financial systems, the report highlighted.
The report is based on longitudinal credit bureau data of approximately 16 crore (160 million) credit-active women, complemented by primary research with 161 rural women nano-entrepreneurs, providing both quantitative and behavioural insights. This year, the report also incorporated microfinance data, making it a comprehensive assessment of women’s access and progression within the credit ecosystem.
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