Women's Credit in India Reaches Rs 76 Lakh Crore, Signaling Major Financial Shift
In a landmark development for India's financial sector, women borrowers now account for Rs 76 lakh crore of credit, representing 26% of the total system credit in 2025. This marks a near five-fold rise since 2017, indicating a profound structural transformation in the nation's credit landscape.
Rapid Growth and Increased Engagement
A joint report by TransUnion Cibil, Niti Aayog's Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), and MicroSave Consulting reveals that women are evolving from passive beneficiaries to active drivers of credit demand. The number of women accessing formal credit grew at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% between 2017 and 2025. Outstanding credit for women surged 4.8 times during this period, compared to a 2.9 times growth in overall credit, highlighting a significantly faster expansion.
Bhavesh Jain, MD and CEO of TransUnion Cibil, commented, "The growth underscores women's increasing engagement with the financial system. In recent years, digital infrastructure has facilitated easier onboarding, faster loan processing, and improved access to information."
Broad-Based Growth Across Segments
Women's share in retail loan originations increased to 27% in 2025 from 24% in 2022, reflecting widespread growth. The share of new-to-credit women borrowers in retail credit rose by 10 percentage points to 38% in 2025, demonstrating expansion into previously underserved segments.
Nidhi Chhibber, CEO of Niti Aayog, stated, "At Niti Aayog, we recognise that access to finance is a structural enabler of women's economic participation."
Shift Towards Enterprise Activity
The report also notes a significant trend towards entrepreneurship among women. The number of women with active business-purpose loans grew at a CAGR of 31% over the past three years, indicating a robust shift towards enterprise and business activities.
This data collectively points to a transformative era in India's credit ecosystem, driven by women's rising financial empowerment and access to digital tools.
