Over 28 lakh companies registered in India; 65% active: Govt data

More than 28 lakh companies are registered in the country and only 65% of them or little over 18.1 lakh companies are active, according to official data.

Among those registered under the Companies Act, 2013, just 5,216 are foreign companies and out of those, 63% or 3,281 entities were active at the end of January.

Latest data from the corporate affairs ministry also showed that a total of 16,781 companies were registered with a collective paid-up capital of ₹816.14 crore last month.

"A total number of 28,05,354 companies were registered in the country as of January 31, 2025, of which 65% (18,17,222) companies stand active. There is an increase of 0.14% in the total proportion of active companies with respect to registered companies when compared to December 2024," the ministry said in its latest monthly information bulletin.

As many as 9,49,934 companies have been shuttered.

In terms of sectors, the maximum number of active companies were in business services at 27%, followed by manufacturing (20%), trading and community, personal and social services (13%).

The highest number of active companies were in Maharashtra, followed by Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

"An increase in the number of active companies is witnessed in the states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi as compared to December 2024.

"Among the Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir showed a rise of 112 companies in contrast to December 2024," the ministry said.

As of January 31, there were 5,216 foreign companies registered in the country, and out of them, 63% or 3,281 entities were active.

"Of the 16 new overseas business entities that were registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs from November 2024 to January 2025, 37.50% were established in Delhi, 18.75% in Kerala, 12.50% in Tamil Nadu, 6.25% in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana each," the ministry said.