Largest factory industries in India by employment: 23.6 lakh (persons engaged in food products). Food products is the largest employer among India's factory industries, with about 23.6 lakh people in 2024-25, followed by textiles (17.6 lakh) and basic metals (15.8 lakh).
Data last updated · Period: 2024-25
Understanding the chart
The bar chart above shows largest factory industries in India by employment, with one bar for each of the 10 figures, sorted from highest to lowest. Each bar is labelled with its exact value, and values are persons engaged. The longest bar is the highest. The first bar is Food products at 23.6 lakh and the last Pharmaceutical products at 10.9 lakh. The data table below the chart lists every value, and you can download the data, embed the chart or share it from the buttons above. The figures cover 2024-25 and come from MoSPI, National Statistics Office, Press note on Annual Survey of Industries: Insights from ASI 2024-25 (30 September 2026), tables 1 to 3 and charts 1 and 2.
Key insights
- The top three are Food products (23.6 lakh), Textiles (17.6 lakh), Basic metals (15.8 lakh).
- The lowest are Pharmaceutical products (10.9 lakh), Other non-metallic mineral products (10.9 lakh), Rubber and plastics products (11.1 lakh).
- Across all 10 groups, the median is 14.1 lakh, and the top value is 1.7 times the median.
- The top five together account for 59.8% of the total across all 10.
Analysis
The middle half of the 10 values lies between 11.1 lakh and 14.8 lakh, so a typical value is around 14.1 lakh (the median); the average is 14.4 lakh. 5 of the 10 are above the average and 5 below it. The highest value, 23.6 lakh for Food products, is 2.2 times the lowest, 10.9 lakh for Pharmaceutical products.
What it means
Factory data show where India's manufacturing is concentrated and how fast it is growing. For a small business, large factory clusters mean customers for supplies, maintenance, transport, canteens and services, and a pool of skilled workers, but also competition for staff and rising wages. Value added per person and pay per person show how productive and well paid factory work is; comparing them with the small-business figures from ASUSE shows how much larger and more capital-intensive registered factories are than workshops and home-based units.
Related figures
- Factory employment in India (persons engaged), 2020-21 to 2024-25: 2.1 crore (persons engaged, 2024-25). Factory employment in India (persons engaged) was 2.1 crore in 2024-25, 7.19% more than in 2023-24 and 30.5% more than in 2020-21.
- Food products manufacturing in India: number of small businesses and earnings, 2023-24: 21.8 lakh (small unincorporated businesses). India has about 21.8 lakh small unincorporated businesses in food products manufacturing, 37.7% of them urban.
About this statistic
The Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) is MoSPI's main source on India's registered manufacturing sector. It covers factories registered under the Factories Act, 1948, generally those with 10 or more workers using power or 20 or more without, plus bidi and cigar establishments, some electricity undertakings and larger units on state business registers. Data are collected from factory records through an online portal, under the Collection of Statistics Act.
Output is the value of everything a factory produces; inputs are the materials, fuel and services it buys; gross value added (GVA) is output minus inputs. Persons engaged include workers, supervisors, managers and unpaid proprietors; emoluments are all pay and benefits. Figures are in current prices, so part of the growth reflects inflation, and they are estimates from a sample survey. Small workshops outside the Factories Act are covered instead by the survey of unincorporated enterprises (ASUSE).
Questions and answers
Which groups rank highest for largest factory industries in India by employment?
23.6 lakh (persons engaged in food products). Food products is the largest employer among India's factory industries, with about 23.6 lakh people in 2024-25, followed by textiles (17.6 lakh) and basic metals (15.8 lakh).
Which rank lowest, and what is typical?
The top three are Food products (23.6 lakh), Textiles (17.6 lakh), Basic metals (15.8 lakh). The lowest are Pharmaceutical products (10.9 lakh), Other non-metallic mineral products (10.9 lakh), Rubber and plastics products (11.1 lakh).
Where does this data come from?
From MoSPI, National Statistics Office, Press note on Annual Survey of Industries: Insights from ASI 2024-25 (30 September 2026), tables 1 to 3 and charts 1 and 2, covering 2024-25. Top ten industries as shown in the press note (in thousands, rounded). ASI covers factories registered under the Factories Act, 1948 (sections 2m(i) and 2m(ii)), bidi and cigar establishments, certain electricity undertakings and units with 100 or more employees in state business registers. Reference year April to March; figures in current prices, not adjusted for inflation; estimates from a sample survey.
How this page was made
Generated by Advanton from MoSPI, National Statistics Office, Press note on Annual Survey of Industries: Insights from ASI 2024-25 (2024-25), data updated 10 November 2026: chart, ranks, comparisons and text are computed from the published figures; no figures are changed. Our methodology.
Data
| Industry (NIC division) | Persons engaged |
|---|---|
| Food products | 23.6 lakh |
| Textiles | 17.6 lakh |
| Basic metals | 15.8 lakh |
| Motor vehicles | 14.8 lakh |
| Wearing apparel | 14.6 lakh |
| Machinery and equipment | 13.6 lakh |
| Chemicals and chemical products | 11.5 lakh |
| Rubber and plastics products | 11.1 lakh |
| Other non-metallic mineral products | 10.9 lakh |
| Pharmaceutical products | 10.9 lakh |
Source and notes
Source: MoSPI, National Statistics Office, Press note on Annual Survey of Industries: Insights from ASI 2024-25 (30 September 2026), tables 1 to 3 and charts 1 and 2. Period: 2024-25. Coverage: India.
Top ten industries as shown in the press note (in thousands, rounded). ASI covers factories registered under the Factories Act, 1948 (sections 2m(i) and 2m(ii)), bidi and cigar establishments, certain electricity undertakings and units with 100 or more employees in state business registers. Reference year April to March; figures in current prices, not adjusted for inflation; estimates from a sample survey.
Cite this statistic
Formats, embedding and reuse: how to cite Advanton.
Please also credit the original source: MoSPI, National Statistics Office, Press note on Annual Survey of Industries: Insights from ASI 2024-25 (30 September 2026), tables 1 to 3 and charts 1 and 2.Related statistics
- Factory employment in India (persons engaged), 2020-21 to 2024-25
- Food products manufacturing in India: number of small businesses and earnings, 2023-24
- Total pay of factory employees in India (emoluments), 2020-21 to 2024-25
- Value added per person engaged in India's factories, 2020-21 to 2024-25
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