India’s exports to the United States fell sharply by 37.5 percent between May and September 2025, dropping from $8.8 billion to $5.5 billion, according to think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). The decline was broad-based, affecting key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, smartphones, metals, and automobiles.
Pharmaceutical exports slipped 15.7 percent from $745.6 million in May to $628.3 million in September, while shipments of industrial metals and auto parts declined 16.7 percent to $0.5 billion. Aluminium exports were down 37 percent, copper 25 percent, auto parts 12 percent, and iron and steel 8 percent. GTRI co-founder Ajay Srivastava noted that since tariffs were uniform across countries, the drop likely reflects weakening U.S. industrial demand rather than a loss of India’s competitiveness.
Labour-intensive industries such as textiles, gems and jewellery, chemicals, agricultural goods, and machinery saw a 33 percent decline, from $4.8 billion to $3.2 billion. Solar panel exports plunged 60.8 percent, while textile and garment shipments dropped 37 percent, with garments alone falling 44 percent. Marine and seafood exports were hit hardest, tumbling 49 percent. The steep downturn follows the U.S. decision to impose a 50 percent tariff on various Indian products from August 27.
