Archive · 2 Aug 2026
India's Credit Access Expands, Women and Youth Lead Growth
A study by TransUnion CIBIL shows that more people in India are getting loans.
The number of adults who can get credit grew from 79 crore to 89 crore between 2017 and 2026.
About 74% of those adults have taken a loan at least once.
Women and young people are borrowing more, and people in smaller towns are also getting loans.
Digital payment tools and new rules helped make borrowing easier.
Credit-eligible population grew from 79 crore in 2017 to 89 crore in 2026.
74% of eligible adults accessed a loan at least once, up from 35% in 2017.
Women borrowers rose from 22% to 30% of the credit‑active population.
Younger borrowers increased from 33% to 39%, with rural youth growing most.
Credit participation expanded into non‑metro regions, especially Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar.
- Who
- TransUnion CIBIL study led by Bhavesh Jain
- What
- Expansion of credit access in India
- When
- March 2017 to March 2026
- Where
- India
- Why
- Digital tools, regulatory changes, and pandemic accelerated adoption
- Credit-eligible population
- 89 crore (2026)
- Credit access rate
- 74% (2026)
- Women borrowers share
- 30% (2026)
- Younger borrowers share
- 39% (2026)
- New-to-Credit decline
- 13% (2026)