India
The Republic of India is located in Southern Asia bordering Pakistan, China, Nepal, the Himalayas, Bangladesh, Burma, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. It dominates the South Asian subcontinent and is about 1/3 the size of the US covering an area of 3,287,590 sq. kilometers. India’s total population is 1.22billion, making it the second most populated country in the world and most populated based on its size. The population is growing at a rate of 1.548% with only 29% living in urban areas. The capital city of New Delhi has a population of 12.8 million with other main cities including Mumbai (formerly Bombay, pop. 16.4 mil), Kolkata (formerly Calcutta, pop. 13.2 mil), Bangalore (5.7 mil), and Chennai (formerly Madras, pop 6.4 mil). The people are governed by a federal republic and are predominately Hindu with a minority of Muslims concentrated in the North. The most widely spoken language is Hindi, however there are 14 other official languages and therefore English is the most important language used for national communication. The currency used is the Indian Rupee.
India has a diverse economy comprised of traditional farming and agriculture, services, and modern industries. The economy has strengthened in the past decade as the government has begun to reduce controls on foreign trade and investment, however many government restrictions still remain, and the enormous and growing population is a cause for concern. Its main trade partners are the US, China, United Arab Emirates, Germany, UK, and Singapore. Its primary imports are crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, and chemicals. Exports consist of petroleum products, textile goods, jewelry, engineering goods, and leather manufactures. India’s GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) is $4.761 trillion and is growing at a real rate of 6.5% with an inflation rate of 9.3%. India ranked 132 out of 185 countries in the World Bank Group’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking due to concerns with corruption and strict government regulations on business.
India Franchise Market Report (2016)Click the links below for articles with more information on Franchising in India
Collaborating for Growth Report on Franchising in India (2013)
Doing Business in India (2012)
Microfranchising Meso-Lending in India
Franchising Laws - India (2010)
Franchising in Frontier Markets (2010)
US Commercial Service Market Report (2009)
India: Market for the Masses (2008)
CERTIFIED FRANCHISE EXECUTIVES™ Program Expands to India (2008)
* CPI Score is published by Transparency International and relates to the perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts and ranges between 100 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt).
**Ease of Doing Business Ranking is determined by the World Bank Group and is ranked out of a possible 185 countries. www.doingbusiness.org
Most recent statistics have been taken from the CIA World Factbook unless noted otherwise.
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