The Indian software industry has grown from a mere US $ 150 million in 1991-92 to a staggering US $ 5.7 billion (including over $4 billion worth of software exports) in 1999-2000. No other Indian industry has performed so well against the global competition.
The annual growth rate of India’s software exports has been consistently over 50 percent since 1991. As per the projections made by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) for 2000-2001 (April 1, 2000 - March 31, 2001), India’s software exports would be around $ 6.3 billion, in addition to $ 2.5 billion in domestic sale.
Today, India exports software and services to nearly 95 countries around the world. The share of North America (U.S. & Canada) in India’s software exports is about 61 per cent. In 1999-2000, more than a third of Fortune 500 companies outsourced their software requirements to India.
NASSCOM’s survey during 1999-2000 indicates a reversal in the mode of services offered by India. In 1991-92, offshore services accounted 5 per cent and on-site services 95 % of the total exports. However, during 1999-2000 offshore services contributed over 40 percent of the total exports.
The NASSCOM - McKinsey report on India's IT industry
According to a NASSCOM-McKinsey report, annual revenue projections for India’s IT industry in 2008 are US $ 87 billion and market openings are emerging across four broad sectors, IT services, software products, IT enabled services, and e-businesses thus creating a number of opportunities for Indian companies. In addition to the export market, all of these segments have a domestic market component as well.
Other key findings of this report are:
- Software & Services will contribute over 7.5 % of the overall GDP growth of India
- IT Exports will account for 35% of the total exports from India
- Potential for 2.2 million jobs in IT by 2008
- IT industry will attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of U.S. $ 4-5 billion
- Market capitalization of IT shares will be around U.S. $ 225 billion
(Ref: Embassy of India)