India's services exports grew 13.7% in August; imports rose faster at 21.4%: RBI
Mumbai, September 30
India's services exports rose 13.7 per cent year-on-year in August 2026 to USD 35.47 billion, while services imports grew at a faster pace of 21.4 per cent to USD 18.93 billion, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday.
The faster growth in imports comes even as India continued to maintain a sizeable surplus in services trade. Based on the RBI figures, the services trade surplus stood at about USD 16.54 billion in August, compared with USD 17.65 billion in July.
On a month-on-month basis, services exports declined from USD 38.25 billion in July, while imports fell from USD 20.61 billion. In July, exports and imports had grown 13.4 per cent and 19.1 per cent, respectively, from a year earlier.
The August data therefore showed that while overseas demand for Indian services remained strong on a year-on-year basis, payments for imported services continued to expand at a sharper pace.
Earlier in the financial year, services exports stood at USD 36.85 billion in April, USD 33.20 billion in May and USD 36.20 billion in June. Imports were USD 18.45 billion, USD 17.67 billion and USD 18.51 billion, respectively, during the three months.
The RBI said the July and August figures are provisional, while data for April to June have been revised on a pro-rata basis using balance of payments statistics for the first quarter of 2026-27. It also said the year-on-year growth rates have been revised based on the balance of payments statistics.
The central bank releases monthly data on India's international trade in services, covering receipts from exports and payments towards imports.
— ANI
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