The India market:key data and regulations

We have pulled from official statistics the figures and rules you should know at a minimum when considering entry into India.
Each figure is given with its source and the point in time it refers to.

MARKET

India's population of 1.46 billion and its GDP per capita

India's population is 1,463.87 million, and people aged 15 to 64 make up 68.4% (2025, World Bank; the underlying data is the United Nations World Population Prospects). It is a market that is large both in the number of buyers and in the depth of the workforce.

At the same time, nominal GDP per capita is 2,675 dollars (2025, IMF World Economic Outlook). If you bring Japanese products in at their Japanese prices, the group that can buy them is limited. You need to decide in advance which channel your price will work in.

We recommend first checking the response at partner stores and events, then expanding to retail and wholesale in that order.

BY THE NUMBERS

Key data on the India market

विकास

Economic growth

Real GDP growth was 7.6% in 2025, with a forecast of 6.5% for 2026 (IMF World Economic Outlook, as of the July 2026 revision). Indian government statistics put fiscal 2024 at 6.5% (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation of India / JETRO, "India Trade and Investment Annual Report", October 2025). The former is by calendar year and the latter by the April to March fiscal year, so the same figure rests on a different basis.

निर्यात

Exports from Japan

Exports from Japan to India came to 2.8624 trillion yen (2025, Ministry of Finance Trade Statistics, revised preliminary figures). The main items are general machinery at 17.3%, copper and copper products at 11.3%, electrical equipment at 11.2%, and iron and steel at 8.0%, with consumer goods still an area for the future (2025, JETRO).

कंपनियाँ

Japanese companies in India

There are 1,434 Japanese companies operating in India, with 5,205 sites (as of October 2024, Embassy of Japan in India / JETRO). Manufacturing has clustered first, and consumer goods and services are at the stage where numbers will grow from here.

खाद्य

Food processing industry

Value added in the food processing industry is 2.24 trillion rupees, or 7.93% of all manufacturing (fiscal 2023-24, Ministry of Food Processing Industries of India, Annual Report 2024-25). There are 42,801 registered factories employing 2.296 million people (fiscal 2022-23, same ministry).

RULES · नियम

India's rules are split between the center and the states

You cannot lump everything together as "Indian regulation". What falls under central jurisdiction and what falls under state jurisdiction changes how you proceed.

CENTRAL

Food standards and labeling

Food standards, labeling, and whether a product can be imported fall under the center (FSSAI). Importers need a central license regardless of the size of their business (FSSAI FoSCoS criteria by type of business).

STATE

Alcohol is exclusively a state matter

The manufacture, possession, transport, purchase, and sale of alcoholic drinks, and the taxation of them, are exclusively state matters (Constitution of India, Seventh Schedule, State List, entries 8 and 51). You need to decide which states to target first.

LICENSE

The authority changes with annual turnover

For food business licenses, annual turnover of 15 million rupees or less requires registration, 500 million rupees or less is handled by the state, and anything above that by the center (FSSAI order dated March 13, 2026, effective April 1, 2026).

The figures and rules are those in force when the sources were published. They are revised often, so please check the latest provisions before making an actual decision. We will identify the requirements that apply to your products and hand them to you.

CITIES · शहर