Women Hold 68% of PM Mudra Loans as Scheme Crosses Rs 33 Lakh Crore
Women Hold 68% of PM Mudra Loans as Scheme Crosses Rs 33 Lakh Crore
Women Hold 68% of PM Mudra Loans as Scheme Crosses Rs 33 Lakh Crore
Ten years since its launch, the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) has crossed a major financial milestone, with total sanctioned loans now exceeding Rs 33 lakh crore. Over 52 crore borrowers have availed credit under the scheme since April 8, 2015, the Ministry of Finance announced on Monday.
Official data shows that women entrepreneurs hold 68 per cent of all Mudra loan accounts, highlighting a shift in rural and semi-urban credit access. The rise in women-led enterprises aligns with the scheme’s intent to foster self-employment through accessible microfinance.
According to a report by the State Bank of India, 50 per cent of Mudra beneficiaries belong to SC, ST, or OBC communities, making it one of India’s largest targeted lending programs. An additional 11 per cent of loans were secured by individuals from minority groups.
The scheme offers loans under three brackets:
- Shishu: Up to Rs 50,000
- Kishor: Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh
- Tarun: Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh
Over time, the demand has shifted from low-value Shishu loans to higher-ticket Kishor and Tarun segments. In FY16, Kishor loans made up just 5.9 per cent of disbursements. By FY25, that share increased to 44.7 per cent.
Average loan size has tripled—from Rs 38,000 in FY16 to over Rs 1.02 lakh in FY25.
The Mudra initiative has significantly contributed to the credit expansion for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Total MSME lending has grown from Rs 8.51 lakh crore in FY14 to Rs 27.25 lakh crore in FY24 and is expected to cross Rs 30 lakh crore in FY25, according to SBI estimates.
States with higher loan shares to women-led units saw noticeable job creation in the MSME sector, as per government data.
As of February 2025, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and West Bengal emerged as the top five states in terms of loan volumes. Among union territories, Jammu & Kashmir led, with Rs 45,816 crore disbursed across more than 21 lakh accounts.
Despite the scale of lending, the scheme has maintained a non-performing asset (NPA) ratio of just 3.6 per cent, according to Department of Financial Services Secretary M. Nagaraju. He described the Mudra program as the world’s largest unsecured loan initiative for small-scale businesses.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its 2024 report, acknowledged Mudra Yojana for enhancing financial inclusion and backing entrepreneurial ventures in underserved communities.
