We have come a long way from the days of physiocrats and mercantilists when agriculture and trade in goods respectively were the engines of growth of economies. Production and trade in services have come to the forefront. In modern economies, the service sector performs many important roles.
First, it represents a major share of the developed economies and is increasingly integrated in the overall production system.
Second, it plays an active role in market integration and globalisation.
Third, the creation of employment, value added, income and exports is increasingly related to the good performance of the services.
In India, the service sector has evolved continually over the past thirty years, modifying the structure of employment and the composition of value added. It constitutes a large part of the Indian economy both in terms of employment potential and its contribution to national income. The sector covers a wide range of activities from the most sophisticated in Information and Communication Technology to simple services pursued by informal sector workers, for example, vegetable sellers, hawkers, rickshaw pullers, etc. Currently, this sector accounts for over 50 per cent of the value added. However, despite its growing weight, the share of the working-age population employed in services remains low.
The economy has basically three sectors:
Primary sector comprising agriculture, fishing, and extraction such as mining.
Secondary sector comprising manufacturing.
Tertiary sector also referred to as the service sector.
The basic characteristic of the service sector is the production of services rather than end-products. Services are intangible goods which include attention, advice, experience, and discussion. These are used to enhance productivity, performance, potential and sustainability. The production of information is also regarded as a service.
However, some economists classify services related to information as a quaternary sector, i.e., the sector that comes after the third and just before the fifth in position.
The tertiary sector involves the provision of services to other businesses. Services may involve transport, distribution and sale of goods from producer to consumer, pest control, entertainment or the hotel industry. The goods are transformed in the process of providing the service. However, the focus is on people interacting with people and serving the customer rather than transforming physical goods.
The composition of GDP of an economy explains the relative significance of different producing sectors. When a country is in a state of underdevelopment, the primary sector makes the largest contribution to national income. As the country grows and develops, the contribution of industrial and service sectors gradually increases.
Income elasticity of demand for agricultural products is relatively low; as a result, with rising income, the demand for agricultural products declines while the demand for industrial goods and later services increases.
The supply side of agriculture, being dependent on land, faces limits on growth and diminishing returns. In contrast, industry and services offer greater use of capital and technology, enabling sustained growth.
In recent decades, there has been a considerable shift from primary and secondary sectors to the tertiary sector in the Indian Economy. The tertiary sector is now the largest and fastest-growing sector.
Government
Hospitals and Public Health
Waste Disposal
Education
Banking and Insurance
Financial and Legal Services
Consulting and News Media
Hospitality (Restaurants, Hotels, Casinos)
Tourism
Retail Sales and Franchising
Real Estate and Sales
In India, the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) is responsible for the national income classification. According to its system, the service sector is divided into the following broad categories:
(i) Trade, Hotels, and Restaurants – This includes both wholesale and retail trade along with services offered by hotels, restaurants, and food outlets.
(ii) Transport, Storage, and Communication – Encompasses railways, other forms of transport (such as road, air, and sea), storage services, and the rapidly growing communication sector.
(iii) Financing, Insurance, Real Estate, and Business Services – Includes banking, insurance, and various real estate activities as well as business-related professional services.
(iv) Community, Social, and Personal Services – Covers public administration, defence, and a wide range of social and personal services provided to citizens.
Between 2005–06 and 2010–11, the services sector in India consistently outperformed both the primary and secondary sectors. Its average annual growth hovered around 10%. Sub-sectors like communication services experienced exceptional double-digit growth, often surpassing 25% annually due to rapid mobile and internet expansion.
Banking and insurance also saw robust performance, with annual growth often above 15%. Meanwhile, the hotels and restaurants segment fluctuated sharply—contracting during the 2008–09 global recession but rebounding by 2010–11.
Other areas such as transport and storage maintained steady growth, benefiting from investments in logistics infrastructure. Likewise, real estate and business services showed resilience despite market shifts, contributing significantly to economic output.
India’s services sector share in GDP has grown significantly since independence. In 1950–51, it stood at merely 27.5%. By 1990–91, the share had risen by approximately 13.1 percentage points, reflecting an annual increase of about 0.3 percentage points.
The 1990s witnessed accelerated growth. Between 1990–91 and 1999–2000, the share surged by 7.3 percentage points, translating into an annual increase of nearly 0.8 percentage points. This growth was fueled by liberalisation policies, IT expansion, and rising domestic demand.
By 2011–12, the sector contributed around 60% of India’s GDP—making it the dominant force in the economy. This rise aligns with broader economic changes including urbanisation, income growth, and the expanding role of knowledge and financial services.
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