Doing Business with 
India

India overview

A Southeast Asian country, India is considered to be the seventh-largest country in the world by area. It is bordered by Pakistan to the northwest, Nepal, China and Bhutan to the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. The island country, Sri Lanka, sits around 40 miles off India’s southeastern coast.

India, like many emerging economies, has seen slowing growth since the global financial crisis, although it has recovered well. Even in the depth of the crisis, the country’s growth only fell to 6.7%.

A number of ‘big ideas’ have been proposed by Prime Minister Modi’s Government, including ‘Make in India’, creating 100 ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Clean India’. These are intended to assist the government’s goal of improving the country’s infrastructure, prosperity and moving from services driven growth to an export-orientated economy. 

Each state in India resembles a separate country, many with their own language and cultural practices. Therefore, the country is not a singular national market as each state has its own industry clusters. Make sure you research the regions as separate entities.

There are numerous opportunities for UK businesses across many sectors in India, including advanced engineering and manufacturing, digital innovation, energy, healthcare, financial, education, infrastructure and sports.

About this guide

This guide aims to provide a route map of the way ahead, together with signposts to other sources of help.

The main objective of this Doing Business with India Guide is to provide you with basic knowledge about India; an overview of its economy, business culture, potential opportunities and to identify the main issues associated with initial research, market entry, risk management and cultural and language issues.

We do not pretend to provide all the answers in the guide, but novice exporters in particular will find it a useful starting point. Further assistance is available from the Department for International Trade (DIT) team in India. Full contact details are available in this guide.

To help your business succeed in India we have carefully selected a variety of essential service providers as ‘Market Experts’ Click Here

The guide is available in 4 formats:

• this website

• a ‘free’ downloadable 'mobile device-friendly’ app – available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store

• a full colour hard-copy brochure (to order your copy please Click Here)

• PDF download/e-flipbook (available to download below)

About IOE&IT

An introduction to the Institute of Export & International Trade

Established in 1935, the Institute of Export & International Trade is the professional membership body representing and supporting the interests of everyone involved in importing, exporting and international trade. Offering a unique range of individual and business membership benefits and a world renowned suite of qualifications and training, the Institute is the leading authority in best practice and competence for businesses trading globally.

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For more information visit: www.export.org.uk