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The fifth edition of the Britain Meets India Report 2025 identifies the fastest-growing UK businesses operating in India, ranking them based on revenue, growth, and employment. It presents a data-driven view of UK businesses expanding their footprint in India across trade, investment, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), MSMEs and clean-energy opportunities. Developed by Grant Thornton Bharat in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and supported by the UK government's Department for Business and Trade, the report also talks about the India-UK FTA and the shifts shaping the next decade of bilateral growth.
The UK remains one of India's most significant trading partners, with India-UK bilateral trade reaching GBP 44.1 billion in the four quarters to Q1 2025, marking a 10% year-on-year rise. India has now become the UK's 11th largest trading partner, indicative of a widening and more diversified trade portfolio.
The signing of the India-UK FTA in July 2025 marks a turning point in India-UK bilateral trade. Key features of the agreement include:
Beyond tariff benefits, the FTA aligns long-term cooperation in advanced manufacturing, financial services, digital platforms, clean energy and supply-chain resilience. This creates a more predictable and growth-oriented operating environment for firms in both markets.
| UK companies in India | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
|
Number of UK companies in India
|
794
|
667
|
|
Total turnover (INR in billion)
|
5,693
|
5,083
|
|
Number of companies that met the qualifying criteria for the BMI Growth tracker
|
146
|
162
|
|
Average growth rate (BMI Growth tracker companies)
|
49%
|
71%
|
|
Employment generated
|
552,908
|
523,460
|
|
Tax paid (INR billion)
|
307
|
239
|
|
Top sector
|
Business Services
|
Business Services
|
| Revenues (INR) | Number of companies |
|---|---|
|
0.5-1 billion
|
32
|
|
1-2.5 billion
|
40
|
|
2.5-5 billion
|
29
|
|
>5 billion
|
45
|
|
Total
|
146
|
Most UK companies are headquartered in Maharashtra (38%) and the Delhi NCR (29%), with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu emerging as significant hubs for technology and manufacturing.
Vedanta Limited, a diversified natural-resources conglomerate and the flagship of Vedanta Resources, is the top UK-headquartered company in India in terms of revenue. Other top UK companies in India by revenue are Hindustan Unilever Limited, Ashok Leyland Limited, United Spirits Limited (Formerly United Spirits India), Shell India Markets Private Limited, JCB India Limited, and Barclays Global Service Centre Private Limited, among others.
Our BMI report 2025 shows that 794 UK companies in India employ 552,902 people, with 67 firms exceeding the 1,000-employee mark. Vedanta Limited is the largest UK-headquartered employer in India, with 97,015 staff, followed by Barclays Global Service Centre Private Limited, HSBC Electronic Data Processing India Private Limited, and Goodricke Group Limited.
India has consolidated its position as the world's leading GCC destination, hosting more than 1,700 centres that collectively generate upwards of USD 60 billion in annual revenue. The BMI report 2025 finds that over 90 UK-headquartered companies now operate GCCs in India, employing more than 100,000 professionals.
For UK firms, the GCC India ecosystem serves as an integrated value-creation platform across:
This shift from traditional cost arbitrage to innovation-led GCCs is driving a material impact. UK companies report accelerated digital programmes, stronger productivity and expanded capabilities through India-based teams. Under the India-UK FTA, streamlined digital rules and mutual recognition of qualifications establish India as a preferred destination for GCC companies to expand their operations.
The BMI report 2025 identifies 794 UK companies in India, of which 58% qualify as MSMEs. These firms operate across high-growth segments, including industrial products, energy, business services, media and telecom, financial services, and technology.
India's MSME ecosystem offers unmatched scale and impact. As of July 2025, India had 65 million MSMEs, employing 280 million people, second only to agriculture. The sector contributes 30.1% of GDP, 35.4% of manufacturing and nearly 46% of exports. This backbone of the Indian economy provides UK MSMEs with cost advantages, skilled talent and access to deep supply chains.
UK MSMEs are leveraging this ecosystem to build cost-efficient, scalable operations, collaborate on innovation, and expand into global value chains. Digital-first models, particularly in fintech, supply chain platforms, and advanced manufacturing, enable deeper bilateral collaboration. Policy alignment on both sides, including Indian schemes promoting energy-efficient technologies and digital adoption, is strengthening interoperability and competitiveness across MSME clusters.
Climate action is central to India–UK economic cooperation. Under Vision 2035, both governments have committed to accelerating investment and technology exchange in offshore wind, green hydrogen, clean mobility and climate finance.
The UK continues to invest significant capital in India's clean energy transition through British International Investment (BII), whose India portfolio exceeds USD 2.2 billion. CETA further supports this agenda by enabling zero-tariff access for clean-tech equipment, including solar panels, inverters, EV batteries, and smart meters, helping Indian firms scale up adoption and lower costs.
On the corporate front, UK businesses operating in India are integrating ESG into their strategy, operations, and reporting frameworks. Firms such as HSBC, Barclays, Diageo India, Hindustan Unilever, Shell, and BP are advancing initiatives in sustainable finance, circular packaging, water stewardship, renewable power adoption, and emissions reduction.
Strengthening ESG disclosures through SEBI's evolving regulatory framework is creating opportunities for UK and Indian companies to collaborate on advanced sustainability analytics, reporting solutions and climate-risk assessment tools.
The BMI report 2025 indicates that the India–UK corridor is transitioning into a more technology-led, innovation-driven, and sustainability-focused era. With the India-UK FTA providing a stable policy foundation, businesses are well-positioned to deepen engagement, diversify operations, and unlock new opportunities. As UK companies continue to expand, the partnership is poised to strengthen across trade, investment, digital services, clean energy and GCC-led innovation.
The next phase of the India-UK relationship will be characterised by scale, shared value creation and stronger integration of India and the UK into global supply chains, positioning the corridor as a strategic driver of competitiveness and long-term growth for both economies.
The latest trends in UK investment in India
