India is no longer limited to providing back-office support for global companies, as Global Capability Centres (GCCs) across the country increasingly take on core business and technology functions, according to the Economic Survey 2025–26.
The Survey said India hosts more than 1,700 Global Capability Centres, employing over 19 lakh professionals, making the country the largest global hub for captive centres. These centres are offshore units set up by multinational companies to support their global operations.
The Survey noted that GCCs have evolved from handling mainly support-oriented work to becoming integral parts of multinational firms’ global operations. Today, many GCCs in India are involved in product development, engineering, analytics, cybersecurity operations and AI-enabled digital functions.
“Over time, GCCs have evolved from support-oriented functions into integral components of multinational firms’ global operations,” the Survey said.
The growth of GCCs has also been reflected in rising revenues and employment. Between FY19 and FY24, GCC revenues increased from $40.4 billion to $64.6 billion, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.8%. During the same period, employment in GCCs rose from 14 lakh to 19 lakh professionals.
The Survey said GCCs now account for a significant share of employment within the IT sector and have contributed meaningfully to new hiring in recent years.
Another key trend highlighted in the Survey is the diversification of the GCC ecosystem. In addition to large multinational firms, a growing number of mid-sized and emerging global companies are setting up specialised and innovation-focused GCCs in India.
The expansion of GCCs is also spreading beyond major metropolitan cities. According to the Survey, many GCCs are now being established in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, leading to more geographically distributed employment and stronger links with local innovation and startup ecosystems.
The Economic Survey said the steady expansion and changing role of GCCs has become a key structural feature supporting the performance of India’s IT and IT-enabled services sector, reinforcing the country’s role as a global technology and innovation hub.