Nagaland sees steady rise in women-led start-ups: MoSPI report

DIMAPUR — Nagaland has recorded a steady increase in women-led start-ups over the past decade, with a total of 60 enterprises recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) having at least one woman director between 2017 and October 31, 2025, according to the 27th edition of “Women and Men in India 2025” released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on April 29, 2026.

As per the data, Nagaland’s figures show a slow but steady upward trend. The state recorded just one start-up annually from 2017 to 2019, which increased to three in 2020 and four in 2021.

Although there was a slight dip to three in 2022, the number rose significantly to 13 in 2023 and peaked at 21 in 2024, before settling at 13 in 2025.

While among the Northeastern states, Nagaland holds a mid-range position with Assam leading the region with 849 women-led start-ups, followed by Manipur (106) and Tripura (73).

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Nagaland, with 60, ranks ahead of Meghalaya (43), Arunachal Pradesh (35), and Mizoram (22), while Sikkim recorded the lowest at seven.

At the national level, India recorded a total of 95,316 DPIIT-recognised start-ups with at least one woman director during between 2017 and October 31, 2025,

The highest numbers were reported from Maharashtra (17,258), followed by Uttar Pradesh (9,716) and Karnataka (9,636), reflecting a concentration of start-up activity in more industrialised states.

The MoSPI report provides a broad overview of gender-related indicators across sectors such as population, education, health, economic participation, and decision-making. It compiles data from multiple ministries and organisations to present an overall picture of the status of women and men in India.

It may be noted that the figures include all start-ups recognised up to October 31, 2025, including those that are approved, cancelled, or expired.