NITI Aayog’s Report Highlights Surge in Women’s Financial Empowerment

Women Take Charge of Their Financial Journey

NITI Aayog’s Report Highlights Surge in Women’s Financial Empowerment: India is witnessing a powerful shift in its financial landscape—and women are leading the way. According to NITI Aayog’s 2025 report titled “From Borrowers to Builders”, a record 27 million women were monitoring their credit scores by the end of 2024. That’s a 42% jump from the previous year, pointing to a rising awareness and confidence among Indian women when it comes to managing money, loans, and financial planning.

Rural Women Set the Pace

What stands out most is that this transformation is not confined to cities. A remarkable 60% of women borrowers come from rural and semi-urban areas. Between 2019 and 2024, women’s active participation in credit-related activities tripled. No longer limited to borrowing for household expenses, many women are now taking loans to fund agriculture, property purchases, and business ventures, rewriting the rules of rural finance.

Credit Score Monitoring on the Rise

Another striking detail is the growing trend of credit score monitoring. As of December 2024, 19.43% of women borrowers were actively tracking their credit—up from 17.89% the previous year. Interestingly, the most significant jump happened in non-metro areas, where there was a 48% surge, compared to 30% in metros. This shows that financial literacy efforts are working better in smaller towns and rural belts, challenging old assumptions.

Southern India Leads; Central States Catching Up

Five states—Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana—make up nearly half of India’s active women credit monitors. The southern region saw the highest participation, with over 10.2 million women actively managing their credit. Meanwhile, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh recorded the fastest growth, showing how financial empowerment is expanding across diverse geographies.

Women Borrowers Choose Growth-Driven Loans

Today’s women borrowers are driven by ambition. In 2024, 36% of loans taken by women were for property, followed by 26% for agriculture and 25% for business. Since 2019, business loan origination among women has gone up by 14%, and women now make up 35% of India’s business borrowers. These numbers reflect a purpose-driven shift toward economic independence.

Gaps Remain, Especially for Younger Women

Despite the progress, challenges remain. Young women are underrepresented, with only 27% of credit consumers under 30 being female. Collateral requirements, limited financial literacy, and gendered biases in banking still block many women from accessing credit. The report recommends gender-smart financial tools and youth-specific outreach programs to close this gap and unlock the next generation of women entrepreneurs.

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NITI Aayog’s Report Highlights Surge in Women’s Financial Empowerment: