In short
- India's influencer market is put at ₹2,344 crore (2024, EY), ₹3,000 to 3,500 crore (2025, a creator platform) and ₹3,600 crore (2024, WPP Media and Kantar). Name source and year.
- India has about 4 to 4.4 million active creators by one vendor's count, and 61.1% of the creators it surveyed are nano, with 1,000 to 10,000 followers.
- Instagram is the main influencer platform for 93.1% of surveyed brands, and e-commerce (about 23%) and FMCG (about 19%) lead spend by category in one vendor's report.
- ASCI processed 1,609 influencer ads in 2025-26 and 97.3% needed modification. Where a figure comes from a company that sells influencer services, the tables say so.
India's influencer marketing market is estimated at about ₹3,000 to 3,500 crore for 2025 by a creator platform, about ₹3,600 crore on a 2024 base by WPP Media and Kantar, and ₹3,375 crore by 2026 in an older EY-led forecast. The country has an estimated 4 to 4.4 million active creators, Instagram is the main platform for 93.1% of surveyed brands, and ASCI found that 97.3% of the influencer ads it processed in 2025-26 needed modification. None of these figures is audited, and several come from companies that sell influencer services.
This page collects the numbers brands, journalists and students ask for most, each with its source and date. The "Type" column says what kind of source stands behind a figure, because that decides how far to trust it. For what these numbers mean for a plan, see our complete guide to influencer marketing in India, and for what creators charge, the rates guide.
How to read the tables
| Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Regulator data | ASCI, the advertising industry's self-regulator, or a government body published the figure |
| Independent estimate | A research or analytics body modelled it; method not always visible |
| Industry study | A study led by a media agency group with a research partner; credible, but the sponsor has a stake |
| Vendor estimate | The publisher sells influencer services or tools, so the number is its own unaudited estimate. We describe these companies by what they sell, and every publisher is named in the Sources list below |
| Company-reported | A platform reporting its own users |
| Press-reported | A news outlet reporting a study we could not read in full |
Market size
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market, 2025 | ₹3,000 to 3,500 crore, growing about 22% a year to ₹4,500 to 5,000 crore by 2027 | Creator-platform 2026 report, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| Market, 2024 base | About ₹3,600 crore, forecast to grow 25% in 2025 | WPP Media and Kantar, via MediaNews4u and Campaign India, 11 and 12 Jun 2025 | Industry study; press copies disagree on whether the base year is 2024 or 2025 |
| Market, 2024 and 2026 | About ₹2,344 crore in 2024; ₹3,375 crore forecast for 2026 | EY-led study with two industry partners, via Social Samosa, 2 Apr 2024 | Older forecast |
| Wider creator economy | About ₹125 billion (₹12,500 crore) in 2024, projected near ₹500 billion by 2030, 25% a year | EY, via exchange4media, 6 May 2025 | Press-reported; wider scope than influencer ad spend |
| Claimed deployed spend | Above ₹10,000 crore, with about 25% through agencies | An influencer-software vendor's claim, via MediaNews4u, 9 Dec 2025 | Vendor estimate with no published method; a contested outlier |
Creators
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active creators | 4 to 4.4 million; 3.3 to 3.7 million on Instagram | Creator-platform 2026 report, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| Nano share | 61.1% of surveyed creators have 1,000 to 10,000 followers | Creator-platform 2026 report, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 (survey of 1,000+ responses) | Vendor estimate |
| Registered businesses | 15.2% of creators are registered as a business or GST individual | Creator-platform 2026 report, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| Influencers in India | More than 4 million, up from about 962,000 in 2020 | EY, via exchange4media, 6 May 2025 | Press-reported |
| Creators, earlier edition | 3.5 to 4.5 million; 1.8 to 2.3 million Indian Instagram creators | Creator-platform 2025 edition, via The Tribune (paid press release), 8 Jul 2025 | Vendor estimate, advertorial |
| YouTube channels | More than 18,000 Indian channels above 1 million subscribers; channels earning six figures or more up over 30% year on year | Oxford Economics, via Business Today, 29 Sep 2026 | Press-reported |
Platform audiences
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet users | 1.03 billion (70%) | DataReportal Digital 2026: India, 5 Nov 2025 | Independent estimate |
| 481 million ad audience | DataReportal, 5 Nov 2025 | Independent estimate (ad reach, not monthly users) | |
| YouTube | 500 million ad reach | DataReportal, 5 Nov 2025 | Independent estimate |
| 403 million | DataReportal, 5 Nov 2025 | Independent estimate | |
| Snapchat | 213 million ad audience | DataReportal, 5 Nov 2025 | Independent estimate |
| 170 million members | DataReportal, 5 Nov 2025 | Independent estimate (registered members) | |
| X | 22.2 million ad reach, down 12.3% over the year | DataReportal, 5 Nov 2025 | Independent estimate |
| Snapchat, own count | More than 250 million monthly users, about 90% of daily users aged 13 to 34 | Snap Inc., 2 Jul 2025 | Company-reported |
| Active internet users | About 958 million; about 588 million (61%) watched short-form video in 2025 | IAMAI and Kantar, via Free Press Journal, 30 Jan 2026 | Press-reported |
Do not mix sources. NapoleonCat shows about 525 million Indian Instagram users for February 2026, higher than DataReportal's 481 million, because the methods differ. We leave out user counts for ShareChat, Moj and Josh because the company claims and independent reports conflict widely.
Where the money goes
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spend by category | E-commerce about 23%, FMCG about 19% of annual influencer spend | Creator-platform 2025 edition, via The Tribune, 8 Jul 2025 | Vendor estimate, advertorial |
| IPL influencer spend | About ₹250 crore in 2023, about ₹550 crore in 2025, near or above ₹700 crore projected for 2026 (16 to 18% of IPL digital spend) | Influencer-platform vendor's IPL report, via MediaNews4u, 19 Mar 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| IPL collaborations by sector | FMCG 32%, e-commerce and retail 17%, entertainment and OTT 16%, consumer tech and telecom 15%, fintech 10%, auto 6% | Influencer-platform vendor's IPL report, via MediaNews4u, 19 Mar 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| IPL budget by creator tier | A-list 32%, mega 25%, macro 18%, micro 15%, nano 10% | Influencer-platform vendor's IPL report, via MediaNews4u, 19 Mar 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| Film promotion, 2025 | More than ₹250 crore; 610,000+ posts; micro and small-to-mid creators drove over 51% of posts and engagements | Influencer-platform vendor's film report, via Storyboard18, 31 Dec 2025 | Vendor estimate |
| Brand budgets | 56% of brands spent more than 2% of their budget on influencers; 70% planned to hold or raise budgets; 47% preferred micro and nano creators | EY-led study, via Social Samosa, 2 Apr 2024 | Older survey |
We found no India-wide share of total advertising or marketing spend that goes to influencers. The 2024 EY-led survey above is the closest, and it is two years old.
Brands and consumers
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumers using influencers | 69% for product information, 63% for discovery, 60% to act, such as buying | WPP Media and Kantar, via Campaign India, 12 Jun 2025 | Industry study (self-reported) |
| Brand priorities | 72% prefer long-term partnerships; 85% are moving from follower counts to content quality; 70% cite trust and credibility | WPP Media and Kantar, via Campaign India, 12 Jun 2025 | Industry study |
| Finding creators | About 83% of brands struggle to find the right creators (95% in banking, financial services and insurance) | WPP Media and Kantar, via Campaign India, 12 Jun 2025 | Industry study |
| Performance indicators | Marketers rate engagement rate (39%) and content quality (36%) above reach | WPP Media and Kantar, via MediaNews4u, 11 Jun 2025 | Industry study |
| Main platform | 93.1% of brands name Instagram | Creator-platform survey, 2026 report page (undated, accessed 31 Oct 2026) | Vendor estimate |
| Partnership ads | 76.6% have run them; 23.3% do so regularly | Creator-platform survey, 2026 report page (undated, accessed 31 Oct 2026) | Vendor estimate |
| Long-term deals | 62.1% agree they give better ROI | Creator-platform survey, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| Revenue targets | 13.3% tie influencer work to formal revenue targets; 46.4% judge campaign by campaign | Creator-platform survey, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| Regional briefs | More than 62% of surveyed creators report receiving more regional-language briefs | Creator-platform survey, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 | Vendor estimate |
Engagement and cost benchmarks
No independent India series for 2025 to 2026 exists that we could find, so these are vendor and blog figures. Treat them as direction, as our Instagram engagement rate benchmarks explain.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement by city tier | Metros 3 to 4%, tier-2 3.5 to 4.5%, tier-3 and tier-4 4.5 to 5.5% | Creator-platform 2026 survey, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| Cost per campaign by city tier | Tier-3 and tier-4 ₹35,000 to ₹90,000, against ₹3.8 to ₹4.5 lakh in metros | Creator-platform 2026 survey, via Campaign India, 21 May 2026 | Vendor estimate |
| Engagement by follower tier | Nano 6 to 12%, micro 3 to 7%, mid-tier 1.5 to 4%, macro 0.8 to 2.5% | An agency's rate guide, 20 Apr 2026 (updated 16 Sep 2026) | Agency blog, no method |
| Nano average | 5.9% for accounts of 1,000 to 5,000 followers | An Instagram analytics vendor, updated 7 May 2026 | Vendor estimate; data vintage unclear (page first published 2020) |
| CPM and cost per view | No reliable India benchmark found for sponsored creator content | n/a | n/a |
Compliance and enforcement
| Statistic | Figure | Source and date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Influencer ads, 2025-26 | 1,609 processed; 97.3% needed modification; over 54% promoted prohibited or restricted categories | ASCI annual complaints report, 28 May 2026 | Regulator data |
| Top violation categories, 2025-26 | Illegal betting 54%, personal care 16.9%, electronics and consumer durables 7.9%, food and beverages 6.3%, fashion and lifestyle 4.3% | ASCI annual complaints report, 28 May 2026 | Regulator data |
| Influencer violations, Apr to Dec 2025 | 854 identified | ASCI annual complaints report, 28 May 2026 | Regulator data |
| Influencer ads, Apr to Sep 2025 | 1,173 processed, 98% needed modification; offshore betting 683, personal care 194 | ASCI half-yearly report, Nov 2025 | Regulator data |
| Forbes India Top 100 Digital Stars 2024, ASCI check | 76% failed disclosure norms in the second check (69% in the first); 76 cases upheld; 95% agreed to add labels; 2 escalated to the Department of Consumer Affairs | ASCI half-yearly report, Nov 2025 | Regulator data |
| Influencer ads, 2024-25 | 1,015 investigated, 98% needed modification; influencer violations were 14% of ads processed; 318 ads promoted offshore betting; 121 LinkedIn disclosure violations | ASCI annual report press release, 28 May 2025 | Regulator data |
| Penalties | Under the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022 (notified 9 Jun 2022), the Central Consumer Protection Authority can fine endorsers up to ₹10 lakh, and up to ₹50 lakh for subsequent contraventions, and bar an endorser for up to 1 year (up to 3 years for repeat offences) | PIB, 10 Jun 2022 | Regulator data |
The rules behind these numbers are in our ASCI influencer guidelines explainer. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Numbers we looked for and did not find
- An India-wide share of advertising or marketing budgets going to influencers.
- A reliable India CPM or cost-per-view benchmark for sponsored creator content.
- An independent 2025 to 2026 engagement-by-tier series.
- Audited transaction data behind published creator rates.
- Reliable monthly user numbers for ShareChat, Moj and Josh.
If you see these quoted with confidence elsewhere, ask for the method.
How to cite these numbers
- Name the source, year and type each time: "about ₹3,000 to 3,500 crore for 2025, per a creator platform's 2026 report, a vendor estimate".
- Do not mix scopes. Creator economy, influencer ad spend and platform ad revenue are different things.
- Do not mix sources for one metric. DataReportal and NapoleonCat count Instagram differently.
- Use ranges for vendor estimates and say they are unaudited.
- Link to the primary source, not to a blog repeating it.
For the metrics to track on your own campaigns, see our KPI guide and the attribution guide. For where the market is heading, read influencer marketing trends in India for 2027. To turn a budget into a creator plan, send us a brief.
Sources
- Kofluence report tracks creator economy's formal shift (market size, creators, city-tier engagement, brand survey), Campaign India (21 May 2026)
- Decoding Influence: annual research report (brand behaviour survey), Kofluence (Undated, accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- India's 3.5 to 4.5 million creator economy powers 3,500 crore influencer marketing industry: Kofluence report 2025 (paid press release), The Tribune (ANI feed) (8 Jul 2025)
- India's influencer marketing industry set to grow 25% in 2025, finds WPP and Kantar report, MediaNews4u (11 Jun 2025)
- 69% of Indian consumers turn to influencers for information and 63% for product discovery, Campaign India (12 Jun 2025)
- India's creator economy set to touch Rs 500 billion by 2030: EY, exchange4media (6 May 2025)
- The State of Influencer Marketing in India (EY, Collective Artists Network, Big Bang Social): coverage, Social Samosa (2 Apr 2024)
- Only 25% of India's influencer marketing spend flows through agencies, 75% direct with creators: KlugKlug, MediaNews4u (9 Dec 2025)
- Creator-led movie promotions in India cross Rs 250 crore in 2025: Qoruz report, Storyboard18 (31 Dec 2025)
- IPL influencer marketing spends may touch Rs 700 crore in 2026: Qoruz report, MediaNews4u (19 Mar 2026)
- YouTube's India creator ecosystem generates 9.6 lakh jobs and Rs 18,000 crore in economic value: Oxford Economics report, Business Today (PTI) (29 Sep 2026)
- Digital 2026: India, DataReportal (Kepios) (5 Nov 2025)
- Snapchat passes 250 million monthly active users in India, Snap Inc. newsroom (2 Jul 2025)
- India's internet user base crosses 950 million in 2025: IAMAI and Kantar Internet in India 2025, Free Press Journal (IANS) (30 Jan 2026)
- Instagram users in India, February 2026, NapoleonCat (Feb 2026)
- Influencer marketing pricing in India 2026 (engagement benchmarks by tier), upGrowth Digital (20 Apr 2026, updated 16 Sep 2026)
- State of Instagram influencer marketing in India, HypeAuditor (Updated 7 May 2026 (first published 26 Mar 2020))
- ASCI annual complaints report 2024-25: press release, ASCI (28 May 2025)
- ASCI half-yearly complaints report 2025-26, ASCI (Nov 2025)
- ASCI annual complaints report 2025-26, ASCI (28 May 2026)
- Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022: penalties, PIB (Department of Consumer Affairs) (10 Jun 2022)
Frequently asked questions
How big is the influencer marketing industry in India?
It depends on the source. One creator platform estimates about ₹3,000 to 3,500 crore for 2025, WPP Media and Kantar put it at about ₹3,600 crore on a 2024 base, and an older EY-led study projected ₹3,375 crore by 2026. Definitions differ, and none is audited, so quote the source and year, never 'the market'.
How many influencers are there in India?
A 2026 vendor report counts 4 to 4.4 million active creators, 3.3 to 3.7 million of them on Instagram. EY separately reported more than 4 million influencers in 2025 coverage, up from about 962,000 in 2020. Most are small: 61.1% of surveyed creators have 1,000 to 10,000 followers. See micro-influencer marketing.
Which platform do Indian brands use most for influencer marketing?
Instagram. In a 2026 vendor survey, 93.1% of brands named it their main influencer platform. DataReportal puts Instagram's India ad audience at 481 million and YouTube's ad reach at 500 million. For how they compare, read YouTube vs Instagram influencer marketing.
How much do brands spend on influencers by category?
One vendor's 2025 report put e-commerce at about 23% and FMCG at about 19% of annual influencer spend. For IPL collaborations, an influencer-platform vendor found FMCG at 32%, e-commerce and retail 17%, entertainment and OTT 16%, consumer tech and telecom 15%, fintech 10% and auto 6%. We found no India-wide share of ad budgets.
What percentage of Indian consumers act on influencer content?
A 2025 study by WPP Media and Kantar found that 69% of Indian consumers use influencers for product information, 63% for discovery and 60% to act, for example by buying. These are self-reported answers, so they show attitude, not measured sales. See our ROI guide for tracking real results.
How many influencer ads break ASCI rules?
In 2025-26 ASCI processed 1,609 influencer ads and 97.3% needed modification, with more than 54% promoting prohibited or restricted categories, mainly illegal betting. In 2024-25 it investigated 1,015 influencer ads and 98% needed changes. Read our ASCI guidelines explainer. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Why do influencer market size estimates differ?
The studies use different definitions, years and methods. Some count only brand spend on creators, one counts the wider creator economy, and a vendor claim counts direct deals outside agencies. Several are produced by companies that sell influencer services. Compare only like with like, and read our complete guide for context.