New data from the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2025 has revealed striking regional differences in women’s participation in India’s informal economy. For the first time, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released district-level estimates from this large-scale national survey, covering the unincorporated non-agricultural sector that includes manufacturing, trade and other services.
The standout finding is that Nirmal district in Telangana records the highest share of women among informal workers in the country at 78 percent. This places it well above the national average of around 29 percent and highlights the significant role women play in the unincorporated sector in certain parts of India.
Landmark District-Level Insights
ASUSE 2025 provides estimates for 757 out of 770 districts included in the sampling frame. The survey captures establishments operating outside the formal corporate and agricultural sectors, offering a granular view of a segment that employs a large portion of India’s workforce. The release of district-level figures marks an important advance in data availability, enabling more precise understanding of local economic patterns.
Nirmal’s 78 percent female share of informal workers stands in sharp contrast to the lowest figures. Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand records only about 6.7 to 7 percent, followed by districts such as Marigaon in Assam at around 9 percent and several others near 11 percent, including locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
Concentration in Southern and Northeastern States
The top ten districts with the highest female participation are concentrated in Telangana, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram. After Nirmal come Imphal East in Manipur and Nizamabad in Telangana, both at 70 percent, followed by Jagtial in Telangana at 69 percent and Bishnupur in Manipur at 66 percent. This clustering reflects the substantial contribution of women to the unincorporated sector in these states.
Nationally, women account for at least one-third of the informal workforce in 237 districts. In 25 districts, they form more than half of all workers. These figures underscore both the scale of female involvement in certain regions and the wide disparities that exist across the country.
Women as Workers and Enterprise Owners
The data also points to strong female entrepreneurship in the same high-participation districts. In Nirmal, nearly 80 percent of proprietary establishments are owned by women—the highest or among the highest shares recorded. Other leading districts for female-led unincorporated establishments are likewise located in Telangana, Manipur and Meghalaya. In Mizoram, women-owned proprietary establishments account for at least 50 percent of the total in every district of the state.
This overlap suggests that in some areas women are not only participating as workers but are also running enterprises. The pattern indicates that local social and economic conditions can support both employment and ownership roles for women within the informal economy.
Broader Context of the Informal Sector
The unincorporated non-agricultural sector forms a critical part of India’s economic landscape. District-level estimates help illuminate how activity, ownership and workforce composition vary sharply from one place to another. While some districts show high productivity and significant female involvement, others lag in both participation and output measures.
The concentration of high female participation in southern and northeastern districts points to the influence of regional factors—cultural norms, the nature of local economic activities, access to markets and historical patterns of work. Neighbouring districts can display very different profiles; for instance, Nanded in Maharashtra, just across the border from Nirmal, records a much lower female share of around 31 percent.
Implications for Policy and Understanding
The availability of district-level data from ASUSE 2025 offers policymakers, researchers and local administrators a sharper tool for designing interventions. High female participation and ownership in places such as Nirmal can inform efforts to strengthen livelihoods, improve working conditions and expand access to credit or markets for women-run enterprises. At the same time, districts with very low female shares may require targeted measures to address barriers to participation.
The survey also captures related indicators such as emoluments, registration status and gross value added per worker, providing a fuller picture of the sector’s performance across locations. While the national average female share remains near 29 percent, the extremes—from 78 percent in Nirmal to single-digit figures elsewhere—demonstrate that national aggregates mask substantial local variation.
A More Nuanced Map of Informal Work
The first release of district-level ASUSE estimates confirms that India’s informal economy is highly diverse. Women’s contribution is central in specific regions, particularly parts of Telangana and the Northeast, where they form the majority of the workforce and frequently own the enterprises themselves. Elsewhere, participation remains limited.
These findings arrive at a time when understanding the informal sector’s composition is increasingly important for inclusive growth strategies. By moving beyond state-level averages to district-level detail, the data allows for more precise recognition of both strengths and gaps. Nirmal’s position at the top of the ranking serves as a clear illustration of how local conditions can produce outcomes far above the national norm, while the low figures in other districts underline the uneven nature of women’s economic engagement across the country.
The ASUSE 2025 district data thus provides a valuable foundation for further analysis and evidence-based action focused on the realities of informal work and entrepreneurship at the local level.
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