NITI Aayog releases export preparedness index of India’s states

New Delhi: The NITI Aayog on Wednesday released the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024, a comprehensive assessment of export readiness across India’s states and Union Territories.

Aligned with India’s objective of achieving $1 trillion in merchandise exports by 2030 and the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, the Export Preparedness Index provides an evidence-based framework to evaluate the strength, resilience, and inclusiveness of subnational export ecosystems. The Index identifies key structural challenges, growth levers, and policy opportunities for enhancing export competitiveness at the state and district levels.

At the release, NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam highlighted that India’s export trajectory is increasingly shaped by the preparedness of states and districts. Emphasis was placed on strengthening export infrastructure, improving cost competitiveness, building robust institutions, and fostering predictable and transparent policy environments. Enhancing export readiness at the subnational level was noted as essential for sustaining long-term growth, employment generation, the reduction of regional disparities, and deeper integration into global value chains amid heightened global volatility.

The Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024 is structured around four pillars, further disaggregated into 13 sub-pillars and 70 indicators, enabling a granular and policy-relevant assessment of export preparedness.

The 2024 edition strengthens analytical depth through the inclusion of new dimensions such as macroeconomic stability, cost competitiveness, human capital, financial access, and the MSME ecosystem, while refining existing indicators to enhance precision and policy relevance.

For comparative assessment and peer learning, states and UTs have been categorised into large states & small states, north-east states, and Union Territories. Within each category, they are further classified as Leaders, Challengers, and Aspirers.

Greater emphasis has been placed on districts as the core units of export competitiveness, translating national export objectives into actionable, place-based strategies anchored in local capabilities, industrial clusters, and value-chain linkages.

The Export Preparedness Index 2024 follows a data-driven, indicator-based methodology, drawing upon official datasets from Central ministries, state governments, and public institutions. Indicators are normalised and aggregated using appropriate statistical techniques, with balanced weightages assigned across pillars and sub-pillars to reflect their relative contribution to export preparedness.

Based on the overall assessment under EPI 2024, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh have emerged as the leading performers in the large states category.

NITI member Arvind Virmani emphasised the role of the states and UTs in sustaining and amplifying the export momentum by identifying strengths, addressing structural gaps, and designing strategies to leverage new trade opportunities.

IANS