Manufacturing sector's value added as a share of GDP India 2010-2023

In 2023, India's manufacturing sector's GDP share was around 13 percent. The share remained the same as compared to the last year and declined from 17 percent in 2010. Value added is the net output of the manufacturing sector after adding all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs. The manufacturing sector employs over 27 million workers. 

Boosting manufacturing

As global economies aim to reduce reliance on China or adopt a China-plus strategy, India has emerged as a potent alternative manufacturing hub. The Make in India initiative was launched to foster and strengthen India’s global manufacturing status by enhancing foreign direct investments, skill development, and updating manufacturing infrastructure. Under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, companies are incentivized to promote domestic production and enhance manufacturing competitiveness. Despite efforts, experts expressed doubts about the government’s ambition to raise the share of manufacturing to GDP to 25 percent by 2025.  

Hurdles for manufacturing

As per the World Bank, India’s share in global trade has not kept pace with its rapidly growing economy. It is losing ground to countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam in key low-cost and low-skill manufacturing export sectors. Manufacturing productivity in India has remained low. and the availability of capital also remains an obstacle for the manufacturing sector. Inadequate investments in technology, infrastructure, and research and development (R&D) can also impact productivity growth. Other factors include regulatory compliance burdens, complex labor laws, red tape, and inefficient supply chains.