The report by Deloitte and EnAble India, positions disability inclusion as a national economic growth agenda.
The Purple Economy is an economic framework that recognises persons with disabilities as customers, workers, entrepreneurs, innovators, taxpayers and contributors to growth, and treats accessibility and inclusion as drivers of market creation, productivity, dignity and shared prosperity.
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“Based on a conservative estimate of 100 million persons with disabilities, this report estimates a Total Addressable Market of approximately USD 150 billion across disability-linked products and services. As India enters its next phase of economic growth, the opportunity lies not only in expanding rights and access but in converting participation into new markets, enterprises, jobs and innovation,” the report stated.
Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary launched a White Paper on the report. “There needs to be more purple audits and reports as part of the balance sheet reporting and the corporate governance laws. Talk about how many of your new hires, recruits, top management are people with disabilities,” said the minister.
The report argues that when the unmet needs, aspirations and participation of persons with disabilities are recognised at scale, they open new markets, better services, inclusive infrastructure, jobs, livelihoods and enterprises for the entire economy.By turning barriers into innovation signals and participation into value creation, the Purple Economy can support India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, it emphasised.
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International evidence from organisations such as the International Labour Organisation and the World Bank has suggested that disability-linked exclusion can cost countries between 3 per cent and 7 per cent of annual GDP.
These losses arise not only because persons with disabilities are excluded from jobs, but because entire support systems remain underbuilt: families lose productive time, businesses miss customers, governments carry higher long-term dependency costs and markets fail to develop needed services.
Romal Shetty, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte South Asia, said, “India is at a decisive moment in its growth journey. The Purple Economy challenges us to see disability inclusion not as a cost, but as a catalyst for innovation, market expansion and long-term competitiveness. Businesses that design for inclusion will not only serve society better; they will build better products, stronger talent systems and more resilient markets.”