NITI Aayog Report Highlights Rising Women’s Financial Participation

March 7, 2025

NITI Aayog recently released a report titled From Borrowers to Builders – Women’s Role in India’s Financial Growth Story, highlighting the growing financial engagement of women in India.
As of December 2024, 27 million women were actively monitoring their credit scores—a 42% rise from the previous year, reflecting increased financial awareness.
Key Findings

Financial Participation: Women’s involvement in financial activities tripled between 2019 and 2024, with 60% of women borrowers residing in semi-urban and rural areas.
Credit Monitoring Growth: Women’s share in self-monitoring credit reached 19.43% in December 2024, up from 17.89% in 2023. Non-metro areas saw a 48% rise in credit monitoring compared to 30% in metro areas.
Regional Trends: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana accounted for nearly half of all self-monitoring women. The southern region led with 10.2 million women, while Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest growth in active borrowers.
Loan Preferences: Women preferred loans against property (36%), agricultural loans (26%), and business loans (25%). By December 2024, women constituted 35% of business borrowers, with business loan origination rising 14% since 2019.