Women Now Make Up 25% of NSE Investors across India

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Wednesday, 17 June 2026

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has reported a significant rise in women's participation in India's capital markets, highlighting a growing trend of financial inclusion and investment awareness across the country. The NSE Market Pulse Reports for April and May 2026 indicated that the total number of individual investors on the exchange had risen to about 25% of the total, which is a steady trend from FY23.

The data reveals that women's participation in investing is no longer limited to traditionally strong financial markets. Several northeastern states have emerged as leaders in female investor representation, demonstrating how capital market awareness is spreading across diverse regions of India.

Mizoram, Assam and Sikkim have investor participation rate among females exceeding 29% which is higher than the national average. Maharashtra has a higher number of investors among large states, with female investors making up 29% of the total in 2026, compared to 25.6% in FY23. Tamil Nadu comes in at 28.7% with the rest of the states with female investor shares reaching above 27% also coming close.

However, regional disparities remain evident. Northern states continue to lag behind the national average, with Uttar Pradesh recording female investor participation of 19.1% despite being the country's second-largest state by investor count. Bihar reported one of the lowest levels of women's participation at 16.5%.

Key Highlights

• Women now constitute one-fourth of NSE's investor base nationwide.
• Northeastern states outperform national average in female participation.
• Digitisation and financial literacy drive broader market accessibility

NSE attributes the rise in women investors to multiple factors, including rapid digitisation, improved access to investment platforms, and growing financial awareness. The exchange noted that online account opening processes and mobile-based investing applications have made capital markets more accessible than ever before.

According to NSE, “Greater financial literacy and investor awareness efforts and broader financialisation of household savings has led more families to allocate savings to market-linked assets.”

The exchange further added, “There is also growing comfort with exchange-traded products and easier access to information through digital channels.” The report attributes the trend to high-speed digitisation, the growth in fintech, financial inclusion and better access to trading platforms.

While the report highlights the growing number of women investors, it does not provide a detailed analysis of their investment preferences or the financial products they primarily choose. Some uncertainties exist regarding women's risk appetite, investment practices and decision-making process.

Responding to queries via email, NSE stated, “While the report does not provide a gender-wise product breakup, broader investor participation trends do offer insights. The cash equity segment remains the primary entry point for retail investors. Given these trends, women investors are likely participating through equities, mutual funds and SIPs, and using these products for long-term wealth creation and financial goals.”

The exchange also highlighted global trends in investment behaviour, stating that “In the absence of any apples to apples comparison of investment behaviour between men and women, we're aware globally that women invest with a longer time horizon, with a goal-based approach, invest in diversified products such as mutual funds and SIPs, trade less and take a measured approach to risk.”

The findings highlight India's positive investment environment, where women are increasingly entering capital markets as channelers of investment opportunity, financial autonomy and long-term investment planning.