Nearly one in every three college students (32.5%) in India is actively pursuing the goal of starting an independent venture, according to the GUESSS India 2023 report. This figure is higher than the global average, where one in four students (25.7%) shares similar entrepreneurial ambitions.

"This validates the enormous resources deployed by the government to encourage entrepreneurship at the highest levels in our country. The strong entrepreneurial intent and potential indicate significant growth," said Puran Singh, co-author of the report and an associate professor.

The GUESSS India 2023 report was based on responses from 13,896 students across 1,298 universities, collected between November 2023 and February 2024. The Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) India chapter is a research project that includes student entrepreneurs from 57 countries.

The report also found that 14% of Indian students intend to enter entrepreneurship immediately after graduation. However, five years post-graduation, 31.4% of students plan to pursue entrepreneurship, indicating that aspirations shift over time.

The majority of respondents (78%) were undergraduate students.