NSO releases first district-level estimates of the unincorporated non-farm sector
Women are 78% of informal workers in Telangana's Nirmal but 6.7% in Rudraprayag. What does district data change?
Published 11 September 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
The National Statistics Office (NSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released India's first district-level estimates for the unincorporated non-agricultural sector, drawn from the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2025. It is the first release of district-level estimates from a national survey and covers 757 districts. The survey covers establishments in manufacturing, trade and other services that are not registered as companies: proprietorships, partnerships (excluding limited liability partnerships), cooperatives, and societies or trusts. Data were collected through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) under a multi-stage stratified sampling design. Lakshadweep, Chandigarh and Delhi were treated differently because of their sampling design or because UT-level data already serve the purpose.
The estimates show heavy concentration. The top 10 districts account for roughly a tenth of all establishments, workers and Gross Value Added (GVA), and the top 50 for nearly a third. About one-third of districts have more than one lakh unincorporated establishments. The all-India GVA per worker is ₹1,56,539, and 280 districts exceed it. Women form at least one-third of the workforce in 237 districts. The Hindu's analysis of the data found that Nirmal in Telangana has the highest share of women among the sector's workers at 78%, against an all-India average of 29%; neighbouring Nanded in Maharashtra is at 31%, and Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand is the lowest at 6.7%. In Mizoram, female-owned proprietary establishments make up at least half in every district.
The unincorporated sector is where most of India's non-farm informal work happens, but until now its survey data were available only at the national and State levels. District numbers let planners match credit, skilling and formalisation schemes to local conditions. They also raise questions. The Hindu notes that districts with a high share of women workers often report wages below the national average, suggesting that women's presence may reflect low-paid home-based work rather than prosperity. District figures from a sample survey also carry wider margins of error than State totals, so single-district rankings should be read with care.
Prelims facts
- The NSO's ASUSE 2025 release is the first set of district-level estimates from a national survey, covering 757 districts.
- All-India GVA per worker in the unincorporated non-agricultural sector is ₹1,56,539, and 280 districts exceed it.
- Women's share of the sector's workers is 29% nationally, highest in Nirmal, Telangana (78%) and lowest in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand (6.7%).
- The top 50 districts account for nearly one-third of unincorporated establishments, workers and GVA.
- ASUSE covers proprietorships, partnerships (excluding LLPs), cooperatives and societies or trusts in manufacturing, trade and other services.
Quick recall
- What does ASUSE stand for?
- Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises.
- How many districts do the first ASUSE district-level estimates cover?
- 757.
- What is the all-India GVA per worker in the unincorporated non-agricultural sector (ASUSE 2025)?
- ₹1,56,539.
- In how many districts does GVA per worker exceed the national average?
- 280.
- Which district has the highest share of women among unincorporated-sector workers?
- Nirmal, Telangana (78%).
- Which district has the lowest share?
- Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand (6.7%).
- Which type of partnership does ASUSE exclude?
- Limited liability partnerships (LLPs).
- Which two bodies were merged in 2019 to form the NSO?
- The Central Statistics Office and the National Sample Survey Office.
Prelims practice question
The Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE), recently in the news for district-level estimates, covers which of the following?
- Unincorporated non-agricultural establishments in manufacturing, trade and other services, including proprietorships, partnerships other than LLPs, cooperatives and trusts
- Only companies registered under the Companies Act, 2013
- Farm and non-farm household enterprises, including crop cultivation
- Only enterprises registered on the Udyam portal
Show answer
Answer: (a) Unincorporated non-agricultural establishments in manufacturing, trade and other services, including proprietorships, partnerships other than LLPs, cooperatives and trusts. ASUSE surveys unincorporated non-agricultural establishments in manufacturing, trade and other services. It covers proprietorships, partnerships (excluding limited liability partnerships), cooperatives and societies or trusts. It excludes companies and agriculture, and does not depend on Udyam registration.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Informal employment, MSMEs and women's work in India's growth
- How to use this
ASUSE district data show the size and uneven productivity of the informal non-farm sector, helping judge whether informalisation holds back development.
- The NSO's ASUSE 2025 gives the first district-level estimates from a national survey, covering 757 districts of unincorporated non-farm enterprises: proprietorships, partnerships, cooperatives and trusts.
- All-India GVA per worker in the sector is ₹1,56,539 and only 280 districts exceed it; the top 50 districts hold nearly one-third of establishments, workers and GVA.
- The Hindu notes districts with a high share of women workers often report below-average wages, suggesting low-paid home-based work rather than prosperity.
- How to use this
District-level ASUSE data show where productivity in small non-farm units lags, letting you argue MSME policy should target districts and clusters.
- ASUSE 2025 covers manufacturing, trade and services units not registered as companies across 757 districts; all-India GVA per worker is ₹1,56,539.
- Activity is concentrated: the top 10 districts hold roughly a tenth and the top 50 nearly a third of establishments, workers and GVA.
- Suggest using district data to target MUDRA lending at lagging districts and to align Udyam registration and skilling with local clusters.
What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?
How to use thisWide district variation in women's share of informal work, linked to low wages, shows how place shapes women's economic opportunities.
- Women form 29% of unincorporated non-farm workers nationally, ranging from 78% in Nirmal, Telangana to 6.7% in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand (ASUSE 2025, per The Hindu's analysis).
- Women form at least one-third of the workforce in 237 districts, and in Mizoram female-owned proprietary establishments are at least half in every district.
- Districts with a high share of women workers often report wages below the national average, suggesting low-paid home-based work.
Mains practice question
District-level estimates of the unincorporated sector can change how India plans for jobs and women's work. Discuss with reference to the ASUSE 2025 district estimates. (150 words)
Model answer
The NSO's first district-level estimates from the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2025 cover 757 districts of India's largely informal non-farm economy.
What the data reveal
- Top 50 districts hold nearly one-third of establishments, workers and GVA.
- GVA per worker averages ₹1,56,539; 280 districts exceed it.
- Women's share of workers: 29% nationally, 78% in Nirmal (Telangana), 6.7% in Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand).
How planning can change
- Credit: district credit plans and MUDRA lending can target lagging districts.
- Women's work: high-share districts need better wages and market links, not just more participation.
- Formalisation: Udyam registration and skilling can follow local clusters.
Cautions
- Sample-based district figures carry wider error margins.
- Agriculture and companies are excluded.
Used carefully and updated regularly, the data can make the district, not the State, the working unit of India's job and livelihood policy.
The basics
Why this matters
Most Indians who work outside farms do so in small shops, workshops and service units that are not companies. Economists call this the unincorporated sector. Until now, survey data on it stopped at the State level. The NSO's district estimates from ASUSE 2025 let us see this economy one district at a time, across 757 districts.
What counts as unincorporated
A business is incorporated when it is registered as a company and becomes a legal person separate from its owners. Everything else, from a tailor's shop to a family trust running a clinic, is unincorporated. See Unincorporated sector enterprises.
- 1ProprietorshipsOwned by one person; the largest group
- 2PartnershipsTwo or more owners; limited liability partnerships are excluded
- 3CooperativesMember-owned units
- 4Societies and trustsNon-profit bodies running services
Measuring output: GVA
The survey measures each unit's Gross Value Added, the value of what it produces minus the inputs it buys. Divide GVA by workers and you get GVA per worker, a rough measure of productivity. Nationally it is ₹1,56,539; 280 districts are above that line, which means many more are below it.
The gender map
The most striking numbers concern Women in the informal workforce. Women are 29% of the sector's workers nationally, but the share swings from 78% in Nirmal to 6.7% in Rudraprayag. High shares are common in the South and the North-East; in Mizoram, female-owned proprietary units are at least half the total in every district.
Reading the data wisely
The estimates come from the National Statistics Office, which surveys a sample and scales it up. District estimates therefore have wider error bands than State totals. A high share of women can also mean low-paid home-based work, so share and wages should be read together.
Go deeper
In one line: For the first time, the NSO has published district-level estimates of India's small, non-company, non-farm businesses, showing where they cluster, how productive they are and how many women work in them.
Why it matters for UPSC
The release links GS3 themes (employment, informality, inclusive growth) with GS1 themes (women's work, regional disparity), and gives fresh numbers for Mains answers.
The core idea
The survey studies Unincorporated sector enterprises, the proprietorships, partnerships, cooperatives and trusts that make up most of India's non-farm informal economy. It measures their output as Gross Value Added. The work is done by the National Statistics Office, and the headline surprise is the wide spread in Women in the informal workforce across districts.
Numbers and dates to remember
- 757 districts covered; first district-level release from a national survey.
- Top 10 districts: about a tenth of establishments, workers and GVA; top 50: nearly a third.
- GVA per worker: ₹1,56,539 nationally; 280 districts above it.
- Women's share of workers: 29% nationally; Nirmal 78%; Nanded 31%; Rudraprayag 6.7%.
- Women are at least one-third of the workforce in 237 districts.
Where to go next
- Unincorporated sector enterprises: what the survey counts and what it leaves out.
- Gross Value Added: how output and productivity are measured.
- National Statistics Office: the body behind the numbers.
- Women in the informal workforce: why shares vary so much.
Go deeper: can district data fix job policy?
The optimistic case. India plans credit, skilling and cluster schemes district by district, but it has had to guess at the size of the local informal economy. District estimates of Unincorporated sector enterprises allow lead banks, district industries centres and skilling missions to target where units are many but Gross Value Added per worker is low. The concentration finding, with the top 50 districts holding nearly a third of activity, also shows how uneven non-farm growth is.
The sceptical case. District numbers from a sample survey carry wider margins of error. Rankings between neighbouring districts may reflect sampling noise, not real gaps. The survey also excludes agriculture and incorporated firms, so it cannot show a district's whole economy.
The gender puzzle. A high share of women can signal empowerment or distress. The Hindu notes that many districts with high shares report wages below the national average, which points to low-paid, home-based work. Mizoram, where female-owned proprietary units are at least half in every district, shows the pattern can also reflect ownership and social norms. Reading Women in the informal workforce needs both share and earnings.
The institutional angle. The National Statistics Office has been under pressure to produce more frequent and more local data. District estimates are a step in that direction, and a test of whether granular data actually change allocation decisions.
Unincorporated sector enterprises
What the survey counts and what it leaves out
In one line: Unincorporated enterprises are businesses that are not registered as companies, so the business and its owners are not legally separate.
What ASUSE covers
ASUSE surveys unincorporated establishments outside agriculture in three broad sectors: manufacturing, trade and other services. It counts proprietorships, partnerships (but not limited liability partnerships, which are corporate bodies), cooperatives, and societies or trusts.
Why it matters
This is the heart of India's informal economy: small shops, repair units, tailoring, food stalls, transport operators. Most such units have few workers, little formal credit and no social security for workers. Knowing how many there are, and where, is the first step to designing credit and formalisation policy.
Where to go next
Gross Value Added
How output and productivity are measured
In one line: Gross Value Added (GVA) is the value of goods and services a unit produces minus the value of the inputs it uses up in production.
From GVA to GDP
Adding up GVA across the economy gives GVA at basic prices. Adding product taxes and subtracting product subsidies gives Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GVA is preferred for sector studies because it shows value created by producers.
GVA per worker
Dividing GVA by the number of workers gives GVA per worker, a simple productivity measure. For the unincorporated non-agricultural sector, ASUSE 2025 puts the national figure at ₹1,56,539, and 280 districts are above it. Districts below it often have tiny units with little capital.
Where to go next
National Statistics Office
The body behind the numbers
In one line: The National Statistics Office (NSO) is the statistical arm of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation that runs India's national surveys and compiles national accounts.
How it was formed
The NSO was created in 2019 by merging the Central Statistics Office and the National Sample Survey Office. It produces GDP estimates and conducts large sample surveys on employment, consumption and enterprises, including ASUSE.
How a sample survey works
The NSO does not count every unit. It selects a stratified sample, collects data (for ASUSE, through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing), and uses weights to estimate totals for the population. Smaller areas, such as districts, rest on fewer sample units, so their estimates are less precise than national ones.
Where to go next
Women in the informal workforce
Why women's share varies so much across districts
In one line: Women make up 29% of workers in India's unincorporated non-farm sector, but the share varies from 6.7% to 78% across districts.
What the district data show
Nirmal in Telangana tops the list at 78%, while its neighbour Nanded in Maharashtra is at 31%, showing how sharply local patterns can differ. Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand is lowest at 6.7%. Women are at least one-third of the workforce in 237 districts, and in Mizoram female-owned proprietary units are at least half in every district.
Why share is not the same as well-being
High shares often come from home-based work such as tailoring, beedi rolling or food processing, which pays little. The Hindu notes that many high-share districts report wages below the national average. Policy therefore needs to raise earnings and market access, not only participation.
Where to go next
Take the 11 September 2026 quiz: 54 Prelims-style questions with answers