The Economy of West Bengal
GSDP growth, sectoral composition, exports, industry, and how West Bengal compares with India on key macro indicators.
West Bengal's share of India's GDP fell from 10.5% in 1960-61 to 5.6% in 2023-24, and its per-capita income from 127.5% of the national figure to 83.7% (EAC-PM). GSDP has more than doubled since 2015-16 at current prices. In 2024-25 industry grew 7.3% in real terms, against 5.9% for India.
Key figures & data tables
West Bengal’s gross state domestic product was ₹18.15 lakh crore in 2024-25 at current prices, up from ₹7.97 lakh crore in 2015-16. It was the #6 state economy in India in 2022-23, the latest year every state reports. Its share of national GDP fell from 10.5% in 1960-61 to 5.6% in 2023-24 (EAC-PM).
Services are 58.3% of gross state value added, industry 21.6% and agriculture & allied 20.1% (2024-25). Per capita income was ₹1,63,467 in 2024-25, 79.6% of India’s, and ranks #12 of 17 major states. In 1960-61 it was 127.5% of the national figure. Multidimensional poverty is 11.89% against 14.96% for India (NFHS-5).
Industry grew 7.3% in real terms in 2024-25, against 5.9% for India. Merchandise exports were US$12.67 billion (2024-25), #8 among states and 2.9% of India’s. For 2025-26 (Budget Estimates), own tax revenue is ₹1,12,544 crore, the fiscal deficit 3.6% of GSDP and debt 38.9% of GSDP.
The rows behind the charts above — 12 tables
›West Bengal GSDP by year (₹ lakh crore)(10 rows)
Gross State Domestic Product at current prices, base 2011-12. Source: RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 21 (NSO).
| Year | GSDP (₹ lakh crore) |
|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 7.97 |
| 2016-17 | 8.73 |
| 2017-18 | 9.75 |
| 2018-19 | 11.02 |
| 2019-20 | 11.79 |
| 2020-21 | 11.42 |
| 2021-22 | 13.4 |
| 2022-23 | 15.16 |
| 2023-24 | 16.51 |
| 2024-25 | 18.15 |
›Sector composition of the West Bengal economy(3 rows)
Share of gross state value added, 2024-25, current prices. Source: RBI Handbook 2024-25, Tables 25, 41, 49. Agriculture & allied = GSVA less industry and services.
| Sector | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Services | 58.3 |
| Industry | 21.6 |
| Agriculture & allied | 20.1 |
›West Bengal merchandise exports by year(8 rows)
Source: RBI Handbook 2024-25, Table 181 (DGCI&S).
| Year | US$ million | Share of India's exports (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 9,290 | 3.1 |
| 2018-19 | 10,057 | 3 |
| 2019-20 | 9,491 | 3 |
| 2020-21 | 8,968 | 3.1 |
| 2021-22 | 13,832 | 3.3 |
| 2022-23 | 12,779 | 2.9 |
| 2023-24 | 11,685 | 2.7 |
| 2024-25 | 12,668 | 2.9 |
›West Bengal vs India: headline economic indicators(4 rows)
| Metric | West Bengal | India | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per capita income (India = 100), 2024-25 | 79.6 | 100 | WB per-capita NSDP ₹163,467 (RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 19) vs India per-capita NNI ₹205,324 (MoSPI, First Advance Estimates of GDP 2025-26 (Jan 2026)). Current prices. |
| Multidimensional poverty headcount (%), NFHS-5 | 11.89 | 14.96 | NITI Aayog National MPI 2023 (RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 10). |
| Industry GVA growth (%, real), 2024-25 | 7.3 | 5.9 | WB: RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 42. India: mining + secondary sector, MoSPI, First Advance Estimates of GDP 2025-26 (Jan 2026), Statement 3. |
| Fiscal deficit (% of GSDP/GDP), 2025-26 BE | 3.6 | 3.3 | RBI State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2025-26: Statement 4 (WB, % of GSDP) and Appendix Table 1 (all states, % of GDP). |
›Industrial gross value added in West Bengal (₹ lakh crore, current prices)(10 rows)
Source: RBI Handbook 2024-25, Tables 33, 37, 41. Mining & utilities = industry less manufacturing and construction.
| Year | Manufacturing | Construction | Mining & utilities | Total industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 0.85 | 0.54 | 0.24 | 1.63 |
| 2016-17 | 1 | 0.58 | 0.24 | 1.81 |
| 2017-18 | 1.14 | 0.64 | 0.26 | 2.04 |
| 2018-19 | 1.4 | 0.72 | 0.28 | 2.41 |
| 2019-20 | 1.38 | 0.73 | 0.3 | 2.42 |
| 2020-21 | 1.51 | 0.67 | 0.26 | 2.43 |
| 2021-22 | 1.85 | 0.87 | 0.35 | 3.08 |
| 2022-23 | 1.91 | 1.04 | 0.38 | 3.33 |
| 2023-24 | 2.01 | 1.05 | 0.41 | 3.47 |
| 2024-25 | 2.16 | 1.12 | 0.44 | 3.72 |
›Real manufacturing growth: West Bengal vs peer states (%)(7 rows)
Constant 2011-12 prices. Source: RBI Handbook 2024-25, Table 34. Blank = not reported.
| Year | West Bengal | Maharashtra | Tamil Nadu | Gujarat | Karnataka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 17.6 | 0.5 | 8.3 | 12.7 | 6.3 |
| 2019-20 | -1.4 | -7.5 | -0.6 | 5.8 | -5.7 |
| 2020-21 | 5.8 | -6.5 | -1.3 | -5.3 | -1 |
| 2021-22 | 10.7 | 11 | 9.3 | 10.9 | 17 |
| 2022-23 | -2.3 | -1.5 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| 2023-24 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 12.6 | 7.4 | |
| 2024-25 | 5.7 | 4.2 | 14.7 | 6.4 |
›State GST revenue of West Bengal (₹ crore)(5 rows)
| Year | SGST (₹ crore) | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 31,271 | Actuals | WB budget documents via PRS Budget Analysis 2023-24 |
| 2022-23 | 37,967 | Actuals | WB budget documents via PRS Budget Analysis 2024-25 |
| 2023-24 | 40,900 | Accounts | RBI State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2025-26, Appendix I |
| 2024-25 | 45,873 | Revised Estimates | RBI State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2025-26, Appendix I |
| 2025-26 | 49,772 | Budget Estimates | RBI State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2025-26, Appendix I |
›Unemployment, LFPR and WPR — West Bengal vs peer states(6 rows)
Apr-Sep 2025 (avg of two PLFS quarterly bulletins). Persons aged 15 years and above, current weekly status (CWS). Source: Economic Survey 2025-26 Statistical Appendix, Tables 8.10 / 8.11 / 8.12 (PLFS via MoSPI)
| State | Unemployment rate (%) | LFPR (%) | WPR (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 5.9 | 59.5 | 56 |
| Maharashtra | 5.5 | 56.8 | 53.7 |
| Tamil Nadu | 6.3 | 58.7 | 55 |
| Gujarat | 2.2 | 60.9 | 59.5 |
| Karnataka | 8.1 | 51 | 46.9 |
| All-India | 5.3 | 55 | 52.1 |
›Real vs nominal GSDP for West Bengal(8 rows)
Base year 2011-12. Source: RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States.
| Year | Nominal (₹ lakh cr) | Real (₹ lakh cr) | Nominal growth (%) | Real growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 9.74 | 6.95 | — | — |
| 2018-19 | 11.02 | 7.39 | 13.14 | 6.33 |
| 2019-20 | 11.79 | 7.62 | 6.99 | 3.11 |
| 2020-21 | 11.42 | 7.04 | -3.14 | -7.61 |
| 2021-22 | 13.4 | 7.86 | 17.34 | 11.65 |
| 2022-23 | 15.16 | 8.31 | 13.13 | 5.73 |
| 2023-24 | 16.51 | 8.82 | 8.91 | 6.14 |
| 2024-25 | 18.15 | 9.42 | 9.93 | 6.8 |
›West Bengal per-capita income rank among major states(14 rows)
Rank computed against 18 major comparable states (population >5M; smaller UTs and Goa/Sikkim/Delhi/HP excluded for like-for-like). Lower rank number = higher per-capita income.
| Year | WB rank | of states | WB per capita (₹) | Major-state average (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 13 | 18 | 51,543 | 70,384 |
| 2012-13 | 13 | 18 | 58,195 | 79,360 |
| 2013-14 | 13 | 18 | 65,932 | 88,694 |
| 2014-15 | 13 | 18 | 68,876 | 96,226 |
| 2015-16 | 12 | 18 | 75,992 | 1,05,341 |
| 2016-17 | 13 | 18 | 82,291 | 1,18,128 |
| 2017-18 | 12 | 18 | 91,401 | 1,30,701 |
| 2018-19 | 12 | 18 | 1,03,920 | 1,43,978 |
| 2019-20 | 12 | 18 | 1,10,316 | 1,51,913 |
| 2020-21 | 13 | 18 | 1,05,108 | 1,48,107 |
| 2021-22 | 14 | 18 | 1,22,883 | 1,74,397 |
| 2022-23 | 12 | 18 | 1,37,909 | 1,95,145 |
| 2023-24 | 13 | 18 | 1,49,515 | 2,16,219 |
| 2024-25 | 12 | 17 | 1,63,467 | 2,34,708 |
›Employment share vs GVA share by sector, West Bengal(4 rows)
GVA FY 2022-23; employment PLFS 2022-23.
| Sector | WB employment (%) | WB GVA share (%) | India employment (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 34.2 | 19.3 | 45.8 |
| Manufacturing | 18.8 | 13.6 | 11.4 |
| Services | 34.8 | 52.2 | 28.9 |
| Industry (excl. mfg) + Construction + others | 12.2 | 9.5 | 13.9 |
›Every claim on this page, traced to its source(12 rows)
| Claim | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| GSDP ₹18.15 lakh crore (2024-25), current prices | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 21 (NSO) | 2024-25 |
| #6 of 34 states and UTs by GSDP in 2022-23, the latest year every state reports | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 21 | 2022-23 |
| Share of India's GDP 10.5% (1960-61) to 5.6% (2023-24); relative per capita income 127.5% to 83.7% | EAC-PM Working Paper 31/2024, Relative Economic Performance of Indian States | 1960-2024 |
| Per-capita NSDP ₹163,467, 79.6% of India's per-capita NNI (2024-25) | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 19; MoSPI, First Advance Estimates of GDP 2025-26 (Jan 2026) | 2024-25 |
| Sector shares of GSVA: services, industry, agriculture & allied (agriculture = GSVA less industry and services) | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Tables 25, 41, 49 | 2024-25 |
| Industrial GVA: manufacturing, construction, mining & utilities (= industry less the two) | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Tables 33, 37, 41 | 2015-25 |
| Manufacturing growth, WB vs Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka (constant 2011-12 prices) | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 34 | 2018-25 |
| Industry grew 7.3% in 2024-25 (India 5.9%) | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 42; MoSPI, First Advance Estimates of GDP 2025-26 (Jan 2026), Statement 3 | 2024-25 |
| Merchandise exports US$12.67 billion (2024-25), #8 among states, 2.9% of India | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 181 (DGCI&S) | 2024-25 |
| Multidimensional poverty 11.89% vs India 14.96% (NFHS-5) | NITI Aayog National MPI 2023, via RBI Handbook Table 10 | 2019-21 |
| State GST revenue 2021-22 to 2025-26 | PRS WB Budget Analyses (2021-22, 2022-23 actuals); RBI State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2025-26, Appendix I (2023-24 onward) | 2021-26 |
| Fiscal deficit 3.6% of GSDP, debt 38.9% of GSDP, own tax revenue ₹112,544 Cr (2025-26 BE) | RBI State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2025-26 (via budget_wb.json) | 2025-26 |