Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the results of Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) for 2025 for the reference period January, 2025 – December, 2025 referred to as ASUSE 2025.
Background: Unincorporated non-agricultural sector
- This sector is an important pillar of the Indian economy, contributing significantly to employment generation and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- It sustains livelihoods for millions of people and supports the production and distribution of goods and services across the country.
- By complementing the activities of the incorporated sector and strengthening domestic value chains, it plays a crucial role in the overall socio-economic development of the country.
Background: ASUSE
- Objective: To measure the economic and operational characteristics of unincorporated non-agricultural establishments engaged in manufacturing, trade and other services sectors (excluding construction).
- Focused Economic Indicators: It collects information on key economic indicators such as number of workers, Gross Value Added (GVA), emoluments paid, fixed assets owned and outstanding loans, along with operational characteristics such as type of ownership, nature of operation, registration status and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
- Coverage of ASUSE:
- Geographically: It covers the rural and urban areas of whole of India (except the villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are difficult to access).
- Sector-wise: It captures unincorporated non-agricultural establishments belonging to three sectors viz., Manufacturing, Trade and Other Services.
- Ownership-wise, unincorporated non-agricultural establishments pertaining to proprietorship, partnership (excluding Limited Liability Partnerships), co-operatives, societies/trusts etc. have been covered in ASUSE.
- Purpose: The survey data serves as an important input for policymaking, supporting compilation of National Accounts Statistics, and meets the information needs of Ministries such as MSME, Textiles, etc., while enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions.
Key highlights from the ASUSE 2025 results:
- There is steady expansion of the unincorporated non-agricultural sector, reflecting growth in establishments, employment, and productivity, indicating the sector’s resilience and sustained momentum.
Growth in Establishments, Gross Value Added and Productivity Metrics:
- Total number of establishments: Increased substantially from 7.34 crore in ASUSE 2023-24 (Oct 23 – Sept 24) to 7.92 crore in ASUSE 2025 (Jan 25 -Dec 25), representing a healthy 7.97% growth.
- Among the broad sectors covered, the number of establishments in the
- Other Services sector recorded a robust growth of 10.29% followed by
- Manufacturing sector recorded 6.48% increase
- Trade sector recorded 6.18% increase
- This increase reflects broad-based expansion across sectors and highlights the steady growth of the unincorporated non-agricultural sector.
- Gross Value Added (GVA) (key indicator of economic performance): Rose by 10.87% driven by 16.77% growth in trade sector followed by 8.52% growth in manufacturing and 7.36% growth in other services sectors.
- Among the broad sectors, however, other services sector had the highest share in GVA (42%) followed by trade (37%) and manufacturing (21%).
- Gross Value Added (GVA) per worker (measure of labour productivity of the sector): Rose to Rs. 1,56,539 in 2025 from. Rs. 1,49,742 in 2023-24 in current prices showing a 4.54% increase.
- During the same period, the GVA per establishment also increased from Rs. 2,45,687 to Rs. 2,52,699.
- Strong Labour Market Performance: The sector employed about 12.81 crore workers during January-December 2025, adding more than 74.52 lakh jobs from 2023-24 (Oct 23 – Sept 24) reflecting robust labour market expansion.
- Among the broad activities, “Other Services” sector showed the highest growth of 7.40% generating about 35 lakh new employment.
- Women-Led Enterprises Rise as Worker Earnings Improve: The percentage of female-owned proprietary establishments increased marginally from 26.2% in 2023–24 to 27.0% in ASUSE 2025 pointing to an encouraging trend in women-led enterprises.
- Emolument per hired worker increased by 3.88% in 2025 compared to the previous ASUSE 2023-24, signalling improvements in wage levels.
- The highest increase in this metric was observed in trade sector which recorded a growth of about 8.5%.
- Better Digital Penetration: Percentage of establishments using internet has also grown significantly from 26.7% in 2023-24 to 39.4% in ASUSE 2025.
- This substantial growth reflects a strong trend toward digital adoption among establishments, highlighting the increasing reliance on the internet for business operations.