NITI Aayog Releases Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024

• 15 Jan 2026

On 14th January 2026, NITI Aayog released the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024, assessing export readiness across India’s States and Union Territories (UTs).

• First launched in August 2020, this is the fourth edition of the Index.

Key Points:

• Purpose & Vision: The EPI 2024 aligns with India’s target of USD 1 trillion merchandise exports by 2030 and the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, providing an evidence-based framework to strengthen subnational export ecosystems.
• Subnational Focus: The Index recognises States and districts as critical drivers of India’s export performance, identifying structural gaps, growth drivers, and policy opportunities.
• Index Structure: EPI 2024 is built on four pillars- Export Infrastructure, Business Ecosystem, Policy & Governance, and Export Performance, broken into 13 sub-pillars and 70 indicators for granular assessment.
• Expanded Analytical Depth: New dimensions include macroeconomic stability, cost competitiveness, human capital development, financial access, and the MSME ecosystem, alongside refined indicators for greater precision.
• Categorisation for Peer Learning: States and UTs are grouped into Large States, Small States, North Eastern States, and Union Territories, and further classified as Leaders, Challengers, and Aspirers.
• District-Centric Approach: Greater emphasis is placed on districts as core units of export competitiveness, enabling place-based strategies rooted in local capabilities, clusters, and value chains.