Delhi
Overall Score: 35.1 out of 100 | Overall Rank: 49 out of 55

Momentum Rank

1DelhiTechnology55 City medianOverall Cityscore60
4020Markets

0Culture

TalentCapital

Basic Facts:• Population: Over 30 million in population in theDelhi National Capital Region metro area
• Gross Metro Production (2021): $370 billion• Top industries by contribution to Gross State
Product:1) Real estate, ownership of dwellings &professional services
2) Financial Services
3) Transport, Storage & Communication
Notable Strengths:
With estimates of its population currently already atover 30 million, the Delhi metropolitan area is forecast
to become the most populated metro area in the worldby the end of the decade (surpassing the Greater
Tokyo metropolitan region) (United Nations WorldUrbanization Reports – The 2018 Revision). The highpopulation growth is coupled with India’s forecasted
economic growth over the next five years. This
positions Delhi well to use its size to significantly growits economy and become a leading generator of global
economic activity that can facilitate greater growth for
women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses.
Besides its size, Delhi performs well relative to otherglobal cities in terms of having a well-educatedpopulation. With over 64% of its population having
tertiary education, Delhi is among the top six cities inthe Index for attainment of higher education. Delhi’s
achievement of a well-educated population also
includes a relatively high fraction of women in Delhi
who have attained tertiary education. As access toskilled workers across genders is an important asset for

Overall Rank

49

Operating Environment

37

Markets

11

Size

4

Cost

1Access

21

Policy33

Talent45

Women's Skill & Experience

48

Access to Qualified Personnel

36

Capital51

Number/Value

30

Gender Proportion48

Women's Capital Base40

Enabling Environment

54

Culture53

Access to Mentors & Role Models

46

Attitudes & Expectations

46

Policy53

Technology

49

Connected

54

Cost

5

Policy51

Equality40

women-owned businesses to utilize, Delhi’s highly educated talent pool adds to the city’s potential for future
growth.
As housing affordability and rising costs of living from inflation have become issues of central importance tomany economies amidst the ongoing supply chains reverberations of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delhi’s
relatively low cost of living remains one of Delhi’s notable strengths. According to Numbeo.com, Delhi has thelowest cost of living among cities in the Index. From the perspective of women entrepreneurs who may haveboth work and family costs to balance, a lower burden on personal finances can be an important factor in
deciding whether or where to start a business.
Areas for Improvement:
Delhi’s economic potential presents an exciting future for the region’s economic landscape and reputation thatis very much still to be fully developed. As some competing cities within India have established reputations forthemselves, including Mumbai as the financial center of India and Bangalore as the “Silicon Valley of India,”
Delhi is actively seeking to become the “startup destination of the world” through its recent “Delhi StartupPolicy” that intendeds to support and foster 15,000 startups by 2030.
If well-executed, these policies have the potential to provide ample opportunities for women entrepreneurs andwomen-led businesses to thrive in the city. Many of the program’s features are intended to address several
existing weaker areas in Delhi’s startup environment.
To provide a means of entry for startups, the policy provides for partial reimbursement of both startups’ officeleases and employee salaries, as well as increased access to financing through collateral-free and interest-freeloans. These measures are intended to free up capital for entrepreneurs in Delhi. As it does so, ensuring thatexisting pay gaps and equitable access to these programs will be key for bolstering women entrepreneurs’
access to capital where currently the city ranks among the lowest among the 55 cities. Delhi’s Startup Policy
also intends to make it easier for entrepreneurs to navigate a business registration system that has been notedby World Bank data to consume a large amount of time and has among the highest number of procedures
among global cities. This is especially important for women entrepreneurs who are often balancing work andfamily commitments and therefore time is at a premium for them.
Although the policy intends to promote entrepreneurship through active engagement among young nascententrepreneurs, area for improvements remain in directing encouragement specifically at women in not juststarting their own businesses but also in entering the workforce. Despite a relatively high tertiary education
attainment rate among women in Delhi, the labor force participation rate among women, at 16.1%, issignificantly lower than many global cities. Without greater representation in the workforce, whether those arecultural, policy, or other structural reasons, the barriers for women in Delhi seeking to start and scale abusiness will remain high. Increasing the labor force participation of women helps to foster womenentrepreneurship through several channels including increasing their business skills, increasing their capitalbase and providing more female mentors and role models in career paths. Delhi has great potential and is wellpoised to take off with the highest momentum rank since 2017 in the WE Cities Index.