The Economy of West Bengal
GSDP growth, sectoral composition, exports, MSMEs, and how West Bengal stacks up against India on key macro indicators.
West Bengal's share of India's GDP fell from 10.5% in 1960 to 5.6% today — a 35-year decline that stabilised by the 1990s. GSDP has more than doubled in the last decade. Industrial GVA growth has exceeded the national average in recent years (2022-24), and MSMEs rank #2 nationally by registration count (Udyam Portal). This page presents the evidence.
Key figures & data tables
West Bengal’s gross state domestic product is ₹18.15 lakh crore (2024-25), the 6th largest state economy in India. It has grown from ₹8.03 lakh crore in 2015-16— a little more than doubling in a decade. The state’s share of national GDP is 5.6%, down from 10.5% in 1960.
The composition is services-led: Services 54.9% · Industry 24% · Agriculture 21.1%. Per capita income is ₹2,03,095, which places West Bengal #12 of 17 major states — a rank that has barely moved since 2011-12. Poverty stands at 11.89% against 14.96% for India.
Industry grew 7.3% against 6.2% nationally. West Bengal has 88.67 lakh registered MSMEs (rank #2 in India), exports of US$12.67 billion, own tax revenue of ₹1,02,349 crore, a fiscal deficit of 3.6% of GSDP and debt at 38% of GSDP.
The rows behind the charts above — 13 tables
›West Bengal GSDP by year (₹ lakh crore)(10 rows)
Gross State Domestic Product at current prices. Source: MoSPI.
| Year | GSDP (₹ lakh crore) |
|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 8.03 |
| 2016-17 | 8.93 |
| 2017-18 | 10.21 |
| 2018-19 | 11.51 |
| 2019-20 | 12.54 |
| 2020-21 | 12.41 |
| 2021-22 | 14.16 |
| 2022-23 | 15.36 |
| 2023-24 | 17.02 |
| 2024-25 | 18.15 |
›Sector composition of the West Bengal economy(3 rows)
Share of Gross State Value Added. Source: MoSPI.
| Sector | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Services | 54.9 |
| Industry | 24 |
| Agriculture | 21.1 |
›Top exports from West Bengal(6 rows)
| Rank | Commodity | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering Goods | 28 |
| 2 | Gems & Jewellery | 18 |
| 3 | Tea | 12 |
| 4 | Rice & Food Products | 10 |
| 5 | Leather & Products | 9 |
| 6 | Petroleum Products | 8 |
›West Bengal vs India — headline economic indicators(4 rows)
| Metric | West Bengal | India | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per Capita Income (index, India = 100) | 80 | 100 | WB per capita income is ~20% below national (NITI Aayog/NCAER, 2021-22) |
| Poverty Rate (%) | 11.89 | 14.96 | |
| Industrial Growth (%) | 7.3 | 6.2 | |
| Fiscal Deficit (% of GSDP) | 3.6 | 3.2 |
›Industrial gross value added in West Bengal (₹ lakh crore)(9 rows)
| Year | Manufacturing | Construction | Electricity | Total GVA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 1.12 | 0.64 | 0.18 | 1.94 |
| 2016-17 | 1.24 | 0.69 | 0.2 | 2.13 |
| 2017-18 | 1.41 | 0.78 | 0.22 | 2.41 |
| 2018-19 | 1.56 | 0.87 | 0.24 | 2.67 |
| 2019-20 | 1.62 | 0.9 | 0.25 | 2.77 |
| 2020-21 | 1.55 | 0.82 | 0.24 | 2.61 |
| 2021-22 | 1.82 | 0.98 | 0.27 | 3.07 |
| 2022-23 | 2.01 | 1.08 | 0.29 | 3.38 |
| 2023-24 | 2.19 | 1.18 | 0.31 | 3.68 |
›Manufacturing growth — West Bengal vs peer states (%)(6 rows)
| Year | West Bengal | India | Maharashtra | Tamil Nadu | Gujarat | Karnataka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 10.6 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 5.9 |
| 2019-20 | 3.8 | 0 | -1.2 | 2.1 | 1.5 | -0.3 |
| 2020-21 | -4.3 | -7.2 | -10.1 | -5.8 | -6.4 | -4.9 |
| 2021-22 | 17.4 | 11.8 | 15.2 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 13.8 |
| 2022-23 | 10.4 | 5.6 | 4.2 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 5.5 |
| 2023-24 | 8.9 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.1 |
›MSME registrations in West Bengal (lakh units)(6 rows)
Source: Udyam Registration Portal.
| Year | Registrations (lakh) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 38.5 |
| 2021 | 49.2 |
| 2022 | 61.8 |
| 2023 | 73.4 |
| 2024 | 82.1 |
| 2025 | 88.67 |
›GST collections in West Bengal (₹ crore)(6 rows)
| Period | Collection (₹ crore) |
|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 23,450 |
| 2020-21 | 21,800 |
| 2021-22 | 31,200 |
| 2022-23 | 39,500 |
| 2023-24 | 47,200 |
| 2024-25 | 55,800 |
›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(16 rows)
| Claim | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Growth 7.3% (WB) vs 6.2% (India) | IBEF West Bengal Presentation 2024 (promotional source); cross-ref RBI Handbook Table 10: NSVA by Economic Activity for independent verification | 2023-24 |
| GSDP ₹18.15 Lakh Crore | MoSPI — State Domestic Product, Advance Estimate 2024-25 | 2024-25 |
| MSME Units 88.67 Lakh (Rank #2) | Udyam Registration Portal — dashboard.msme.gov.in | 2025 |
| Per Capita Income ₹2,03,095 | MoSPI — Per Capita Net State Domestic Product, Current Prices | 2025-26 est. |
| Poverty Rate 11.89% | NITI Aayog Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2023 | 2023 |
| Exports $12.67 Billion | IBEF West Bengal Presentation (promotional source); verify against DGFT export data for independent confirmation | 2023-24 |
| Fiscal Deficit 3.6% of GSDP | PRS India — West Bengal Budget Analysis 2024-25 | 2024-25 |
| Manufacturing GVA Growth (multi-state) | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States — Table: NSVA by Economic Activity (constant prices, base 2011-12) | 2023-24 |
| GST Collections ₹55,800 Cr | GST Council Monthly Revenue Reports — State-wise SGST + IGST Settlement | 2024-25 |
| Unemployment Rate 6.0% / LFPR 59.5% / WPR 56.0% (WB, 15+, CWS) | Economic Survey 2025-26 Statistical Appendix, Tables 8.10 / 8.11 / 8.12 (PLFS via MoSPI) | Apr-Sep 2025 |
| Real vs nominal GSDP — ₹18.15L Cr nominal, ₹9.42L Cr real (constant 2011-12 prices) | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25 (10th ed., released 11 Dec 2025), Tables 21 & 22 | 2017-18 to 2024-25 |
| Per-capita NSDP rank #12 of 17 major states (flat #12-#14 for 14 years) | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 19 + Economic Survey 2025-26 Statistical Appendix, Table 1.11A (cross-verified) | 2011-12 to 2024-25 |
| Annual CPI inflation WB 3.9% (2024-25) vs India 4.6% | RBI Handbook of Statistics on Indian States 2024-25, Table 108 (state-wise average CPI inflation, general) | 2020-21 to 2024-25 |
| Monthly WB CPI inflation Dec 2025 / Jan 2026 / Feb 2026 (rural/urban/combined) | MoSPI CPI press releases — eSankhyiki portal / PIB (base year changed 2012=100 → 2024=100 from Jan 2026) | 2025-12 to 2026-02 |
| Sectoral employment vs GVA (WB productivity gap): agri 34.2% workers / 19.3% GVA | NITI Aayog / NCAER, 'Macro and Fiscal Landscape of West Bengal' (Mar 2025, published Jul 2025), pp. 19-24 — employment from PLFS 2022-23, GVA from MoSPI | FY 2022-23 |
| FDI: WB cumulative 0.4% share of India (vs major-state avg 3%) — not charted, see footnote on page | NITI Aayog / NCAER, Macro and Fiscal Landscape of WB, Table 2B (citing DPIIT cumulative state-wise FDI, published since Dec 2019) | 2023-24 |