The Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) captures key economic and operational characteristics of establishments engaged in manufacturing, trade, and services (excluding construction), and provides essential data for policymaking.
It said that the number of such establishments rose to 7.92 crore in 2025, growing by 7.97 per cent from 7.34 crore recorded in the previous annual survey for the period between October 2023 and September 2024.
Also, these entities added 74.52 lakh jobs last year, taking their total number of workforce to 12.81 crore, said the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, citing the latest survey, for which a factsheet was already released by the ministry on March 24.
The unincorporated non-agricultural sector is a vital component of the Indian economy, generating large-scale employment, supporting livelihoods, and contributing significantly to GDP while complementing the organised sector, it said.
ASUSE 2025 results highlight significant growth in all important metrics, reflecting the sector’s resilience and sustained momentum.
The total number of establishments in the sector increased substantially from 7.34 crore in ASUSE 2023-24 to 7.92 crore in ASUSE 2025, representing a healthy 7.97 per cent growth, it stated.Among the broad sectors covered, the ‘Other Services’ category of establishments recorded the highest growth at 10.29 per cent, followed by a 6.48 per cent increase witnessed by those involved in manufacturing and a 6.18 per cent rise in trade-related entities.
During the same period, the Gross Value Added (GVA), which is a key indicator of economic performance, rose by 10.87 per cent in current prices, driven by 16.77 per cent growth in the trade sector, followed by an 8.52 per cent growth in manufacturing and a 7.36 per cent increase in other services sectors.
State-wise, the highest number of establishments (rural and urban combined) has been reported in Uttar Pradesh, followed by West Bengal and Maharashtra.
The survey also showed expansion of the labour market with a rising share of female workers as well as proprietors.
The unincorporated non-agricultural sector employed about 12.81 crore workers between January 2025 and December 2025, adding more than 74.52 lakh jobs from 2023-24 (October-September), reflecting robust labour market expansion.
More than one-third of the workforce was engaged in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
Female workers accounted for about 29 per cent of the total workforce in the sector. Of them, nearly 22 per cent were engaged in the manufacturing of wearing apparel.
Additionally, female proprietors headed over 60 per cent of establishments in the manufacturing sector. Overall, the percentage of female-headed establishments increased marginally from 26.17 per cent in ASUSE 2023-24 to 26.93 per cent in ASUSE 2025.
These trends indicate a notable presence and growing participation of women in the unincorporated sector, both as workers and as entrepreneurs, reflecting the increasing role of the sector in women’s empowerment, the ministry said.
The survey also recorded a marginal increase in the percentage of registered establishments from 37.20 per cent in 2023-24 to 37.50 per cent las year, which indicates a slow but steady growth in the registration of business entities.
In ASUSE 2025, data were collected from a total of 6,70,289 establishments, including 2,94,144 entities from rural areas.