Draft:Export Preparedness Index


Export Preparedness Index (EPI) is an index developed by NITI Aayog to assess the preparedness of Indian states and union territories for exports. The index evaluates the institutional, infrastructural, business and policy conditions that influence export competitiveness, as well as actual export performance.[1]

The Export Preparedness Index 2024 is the fourth edition of the index and was released by NITI Aayog on 14 January 2026. It evaluates the export ecosystems of states and union territories using four pillars: Export Infrastructure, Business Ecosystem, Policy and Governance, and Export Performance.[2]

The 2024 edition places greater emphasis on districts as units of export competitiveness and introduces additional dimensions including macroeconomic conditions, cost competitiveness, human capital, financial access and the MSME ecosystem.[1]

Background

The Export Preparedness Index was first published in August 2020. The index was developed to provide a comparative assessment of the factors that enable states and union territories to participate in domestic and international trade and to identify areas where export ecosystems require improvement.[2]

The 2024 edition was prepared against a background of changes in global trade, including supply-chain restructuring, geopolitical uncertainty, technological change and increasing emphasis on diversification and resilience. The index focuses on the role of subnational governments in improving infrastructure, institutional capacity, business conditions and export facilitation.[1]

NITI Aayog states that the EPI is intended to support policymakers in identifying structural constraints, learning from other states and designing interventions suited to local economic and industrial conditions. The 2024 report also provides individual state and union territory profiles covering export sectors, districts, clusters, strengths and weaknesses, and suggested areas for policy action.[1]

Methodology

The EPI 2024 framework consists of four pillars, 13 sub-pillars and 70 parameters. The parameters are divided into 50 vital parameters and 20 desirable parameters. Vital parameters contribute to the final score, while desirable parameters are intended to capture additional achievements and examples of good practice.[1]

Pillars

The four pillars of the index are:

Pillar Weight Scope
Export Infrastructure 20% Utilities and logistics
Business Ecosystem 40% Macroeconomy, cost competitiveness, human capital, finance and credit accessibility, MSME ecosystem, and industrial and innovation environment
Policy and Governance 20% State-level policy support and governance, and regulatory environment and compliance
Export Performance 20% State-level exports and trends, export promotion and facilitation, and export portfolio and market access

The framework uses data from central government ministries and agencies, state governments and public institutions. Indicators are weighted according to their relative importance to export preparedness and aggregated to produce state-level scores.[1]

Export Infrastructure

The Export Infrastructure pillar evaluates the physical and utility infrastructure that supports export activity. It includes indicators relating to electricity capacity and availability, renewable energy, water resources, road connectivity, logistics facilities, air cargo terminals, inland and container freight infrastructure, free trade warehousing zones and cold storage capacity.[1]

Business Ecosystem

The Business Ecosystem pillar evaluates the economic and business conditions under which exporters operate. It covers the macroeconomic environment, cost competitiveness, human capital, access to finance and credit, the MSME ecosystem, and the industrial and innovation environment.[1]

The pillar includes indicators such as GSDP per capita, manufacturing's contribution to GSDP, fiscal deficit, wage rates, industrial electricity and water costs, workforce availability, women's participation in the workforce, STEM graduates, youth unemployment, export financing mechanisms, MSME growth and the number of industrial parks and clusters.[1]

Policy and Governance

The Policy and Governance pillar measures the extent to which state governments provide an enabling policy and regulatory environment for exporters. Indicators include the existence of export-specific policies, investor-friendly vision documents, digitisation of procedures, state export-promotion initiatives, trade fairs, product certification and compliance measures, and import-export code coverage.[1]

Export Performance

The Export Performance pillar focuses on the outcomes of a state's export activity. It includes district-level exports, export growth, growth in the exporter base, trade balance, geographical and product diversification, export penetration, export-promotion mechanisms and the alignment of state manufacturing with free-trade agreements.[1]

Classification

For comparative purposes, the EPI 2024 divides states and union territories into two broad categories:

  • Large States
  • Small States, North-Eastern States and Union Territories

The classification is intended to account for differences in land area, population, GSDP, economic structure and institutional capacity. Within each category, jurisdictions are further classified as Leaders, Challengers or Aspirers according to their performance in the index.[1]

Results

Large States

Maharashtra ranked first among the large states with an EPI score of 68.01, followed by Tamil Nadu with 64.41 and Gujarat with 64.02. Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh completed the top five.[1]

Rank State Score Classification
1 Maharashtra 68.01 Leader
2 Tamil Nadu 64.41 Leader
3 Gujarat 64.02 Leader
4 Uttar Pradesh 62.09 Leader
5 Andhra Pradesh 60.65 Leader
6 Karnataka 59.30 Leader
7 Punjab 58.32 Leader
8 Telangana 57.14 Leader
9 Madhya Pradesh 57.00 Challenger
10 Haryana 55.01 Challenger
11 Kerala 53.76 Challenger
12 West Bengal 53.03 Challenger
13 Odisha 48.51 Aspirer
14 Chhattisgarh 48.50 Aspirer
15 Rajasthan 47.31 Aspirer
16 Bihar 46.31 Aspirer
17 Jharkhand 42.49 Aspirer

The report places Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Telangana in the Leader category. Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala and West Bengal are classified as Challengers, while Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Jharkhand are classified as Aspirers.[1]

Large-state findings

Maharashtra's first-place position reflects the scale and diversification of its industrial and export base, together with its logistics infrastructure and large MSME ecosystem. The report identifies sectors including gems and jewellery, engineering goods, electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals among its principal export activities.[1]

Tamil Nadu ranked second and was identified in the report as having a diversified industrial and export base. Its major export-linked sectors include automobiles and auto components, engineering, pharmaceuticals, textiles, garments and electronics, supported by established logistics infrastructure and ports.[1]

Gujarat ranked third. The report highlights the state's industrial base, logistics infrastructure and export-oriented clusters as important components of its export ecosystem.[1]

The lower-ranked large states are not necessarily characterised by low export activity alone. The index measures preparedness through infrastructure, business conditions, policy and governance, and export outcomes together, meaning that differences in institutional and structural conditions can affect a state's position even when it has substantial exports.[1]

Small States, North-Eastern States and Union Territories

Among the small states, North-Eastern states and union territories, Uttarakhand ranked first with a score of 52.07. Jammu and Kashmir ranked second with 51.08, followed by Nagaland with 46.42. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Goa completed the top five.[1]

Rank State or union territory Score Classification
1 Uttarakhand 52.07 Leader
2 Jammu and Kashmir 51.08 Leader
3 Nagaland 46.42 Leader
4 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 46.24 Leader
5 Goa 44.60 Leader
6 Tripura 42.82 Leader
7 Assam 42.45 Leader
8 Puducherry 41.21 Leader
9 Chandigarh 40.57 Leader
10 Meghalaya 37.50 Challenger
11 Ladakh 35.89 Challenger
12 Delhi 35.43 Challenger
13 Himachal Pradesh 35.01 Challenger
14 Sikkim 33.75 Challenger
15 Arunachal Pradesh 31.46 Aspirer
16 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 31.01 Aspirer
17 Mizoram 30.24 Aspirer
18 Manipur 28.29 Aspirer
19 Lakshadweep 22.76 Aspirer

The Leader group consists of Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Tripura, Assam, Puducherry and Chandigarh. Meghalaya, Ladakh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim are classified as Challengers. Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mizoram, Manipur and Lakshadweep are classified as Aspirers.[1]

District-level focus

A major feature of the 2024 edition is its emphasis on districts as units of export competitiveness. The report examines district-level export activity, export clusters and local capabilities and links these factors to state-level export strategies.[1]

The index highlights the role of District Export Promotion Committees and District Export Action Plans in translating state and national export objectives into local strategies. It also considers district-level infrastructure, sectoral specialisation, skills and market linkages when identifying opportunities to expand exports.[1]

The district-level approach is intended to encourage more targeted interventions rather than relying solely on state-wide measures. The report identifies logistics, skills, digital adoption, regulatory simplification and support for MSME clusters as areas where interventions can strengthen export capacity at the local level.[1]

Changes from earlier editions

The EPI 2024 framework differs from the previous edition, EPI 2022. Nineteen parameters from the previous framework were removed or merged, while eight parameters were enhanced. New dimensions included macroeconomy, cost competitiveness, human capital, financial access and credit, and the MSME ecosystem.[1]

The 2024 edition also introduced desirable parameters intended to capture examples of successful or innovative export practices beyond conventional performance measures. It further strengthened the assessment of export infrastructure and logistics.[1]

The report notes that each edition of the EPI uses its own methodology and that comparisons between editions should therefore be interpreted in the context of changes to the framework and the factors being assessed.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Export Preparedness Index 2024 (PDF) (Report). NITI Aayog. January 2026. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  2. ^ a b "NITI Aayog Releases Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 18 August 2026.

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