UP govt presents ‘first-ever’ economic survey: Here are five key takeaways

The state’s contribution to the national economy has increased from 8.6 per cent to 9.1 per cent during the same period, it added.

The report maintained that the per capita income has also shown improvement, reversing a decades-long decline. For the first time in 50 years, the state’s per capita income as percentage of the national average has shown an uptick – from 82.4 per cent in 1970-71 to 50.2 per cent, it has risen to 53.5 per cent in 2024-25. (See graph)

The report maintained that the per capita income has also shown improvement, reversing a decades-long decline.

The Survey maintained that the per capita income at current prices doubled in eight years – from Rs 61,142 in 2016-17 to Rs 1,26,304 in 2024-25.

Also, the state’s budget size has more than doubled over nine years, rising from Rs 3.47 lakh crore in 2016-17 to Rs 8.33 lakh crore for 2025-26.

As per the report, the state’s tax revenue has increased from Rs 0.86 lakh crore to Rs 2.09 lakh crore, while the public debt-to-GSDP ratio has declined to 28 per cent in 2024-25 from a high of 29.3% in 2016-17, thereby remaining within the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) limits.

Balanced growth

The Survey highlighted “balanced growth” with agriculture contributing 25.8 per cent to the GSDP, industry 27.2 per cent, and the services sector 47 per cent.

Agriculture: The report stated that Uttar Pradesh continued to lead the country in the production of food grains, wheat, sugarcane, milk, potatoes, and several horticulture crops.

“In the past eight years, fisheries production has grown by 115.5%, egg production by 167%, and milk production by 33.6%… The irrigated area has increased from 2.16 crore hectares to 2.76 crore hectares, and cropping intensity has risen from 162.7% to 193.7%,” the report read.

In cane farming and sugar mills, the report highlighted production of 92.45 lakh tonne sugar in 2025-26 with over Rs 3.04 lakh crore being paid to farmers since 2017.

“More than 44 sugar mills have been modernised, adding significant crushing capacity and generating employment for over 10 lakh people,” the report stated.

Industries: The Survey noted strong industrial momentum, with factories registered under the Factories Act increasing from 14,169 in 2016-17 to over 30,695 by November 2025-26. It also stated that so far, Rs 50 lakh crore industrial investment proposals have been received by the state government.

The Annual Survey of Industries reported a 25 per cent increase in gross value, adding that it was the highest among major states.

The Survey also claimed that the exports have more than doubled from Rs 0.84 lakh crore in 2016-17 to Rs 1.86 lakh crore in 2024-25.

It also maintained that Uttar Pradesh has improved its position in the Export Preparedness Index, ranking fourth nationally and first among landlocked states.

As per the report, at the World Economic Forum 2026, the state signed MoUs worth over Rs 2.94 lakh crore in sectors, including data centres, renewable energy, defence manufacturing, and food processing. Incentives worth Rs 4,000 crore were disbursed to industries in 2025.

The One District One Product (ODOP) scheme has generated over 3.22 lakh jobs, while the state has been placed in the ‘A-1’ category in the national Startup Ecosystem Ranking, it added

Infrastructure growth

The Survey said that Uttar Pradesh is positioning itself as the country’s expressway hub, with seven expressways operational, three under construction, and 12 proposed, thus taking the total number of expressways in the state to 22.

This is reflected in the state’s capital expenditure, which has increased from Rs 69,790 crore to Rs 1.47 lakh crore.

The report stated that urbanisation is expected to rise from 27.6 per cent in 2026 to 35.8 per cent by 2046, with plans to develop “100 new townships”.

The state also has a major presence in inland waterways, with 11 National Waterways passing through it, and the Varanasi multi-modal terminal is already operational.

In the IT sector, Noida has emerged as a major technology hub. While Lucknow is being developed as an AI centre, Kanpur is being pegged as a hub for drone manufacturing.

Tourism

The report stated that tourism has seen a significant growth in the state, with 64 crore visitors in 2024. The figure crossed 156 crore in 2025, driven largely by the Maha Kumbh and religious tourism in Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Prayagraj.

Social sector

The survey highlighted expansion of welfare schemes, including Ayushman Bharat coverage for 5.46 crore beneficiaries and nearly universal child immunisation.

Over 26.81 lakh girls have benefited from the Kanya Sumangala scheme, while scholarships for SC, ST, and OBC students have seen a sharp increase, it added.

The state has also achieved financial inclusion milestones, with over 10.22 crore Jan Dhan accounts and a credit-deposit ratio improving to 60.39.

Future roadmap

The report outlined the government’s long-term vision under “Developed India, Developed Uttar Pradesh @ 2047”, focusing on investment, employment, digital economy, green energy, and logistics infrastructure.

It claimed that the land acquisition for Integrated Manufacturing and Logistics Clusters has reached 84 per cent in 27 out of 29 proposed complexes in 26 districts of the state, which would give further boost to the modern industrial clusters as well as export from the state.