Recent data reveals that approximately 26 crore individuals across the country are registered investors in the stock market. Notably, half of this figure is concentrated in five states: Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. A study indicates that 80 percent of demat account holders have invested over Rs 50,000 in the market. Impressively, one out of every nine individuals from the country's 140 crore population is engaged in stock market investments. Over the span of five years, from 2018 to 2023, the number of investors surged fourfold.
Maharashtra emerges as the leading state in terms of stock market investors, boasting the highest number of investors at 3.12 crores, constituting 23.70 percent of the total. Remarkably, one in every four individuals in Maharashtra is actively involved in market investments.
The trend extends to other states as well, with every fifth person in Gujarat and every sixth person in Haryana being investors. In Punjab, every eighth person participates in stock market investments, while in Uttar Pradesh, the ratio stands at one in every fourteenth person. Jharkhand sees one in every fifteenth person investing, whereas in Bihar, it's one in every twenty-first person. Bihar notably experienced the fastest growth in investor numbers, with a 44 percent increase in one year among the nine major states.
Moreover, the demographics of investors are shifting, with significant increases observed in younger age groups. The percentage of investors under the age of 25 more than doubled from 6.3% in 2018 to 13.6% by the end of 2023. Similarly, the number of investors in the 25 to 50 age group surged from 46 percent to 61 percent during this period.