Outsourcing boosts women chartered accountants in India to 30%

NEW DELHI, INDIA — The number of women chartered accountants (CAs) in India has seen a remarkable increase, with their share in the overall pool reaching 30%, which is up from a mere 8% in 2000.
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) President Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal credited this growth to the increasing demand for outsourced accounting and auditing services within the country.
Outsourcing created new opportunities for young professionals. Its salary—reaching Rs 1,250,000 ($14,900) for fresh graduates—has also drawn more women to the profession.
The trend is evident in the exam results, where female aspirants now represent 48% of the qualifiers. The student base also reflects this shift, with women constituting 43% of the 863,000 lakh CA students. The profession’s flexibility and the affordable cost of study have made it a lucrative option for women.
Women have been outperforming men in CA exams, with four of the six top notchers in the 2020 final and intermediate exams being female. In 2021, women swept all top spots in both the old and new course exams, a feat they replicated in the following years. Over the last decade, 75 women have topped the CA exams at various levels.
In 2023, ICAI also introduced a new course in line with the National Education Policy to further encourage participation.
Agarwal also highlighted India’s competitive edge in the industry, stating that the country “emerged as the hub with most countries outsourcing their accounting work to us.”
He further pointed out the lucrative compensation packages for CAs in India, with the highest domestic package reaching Rs 2,800,000 ($33,500) and the international package hitting Rs 4,900,000 ($58,700).
Agarwal concluded by emphasizing the technological empowerment of India’s young population, which contributes to the country’s significant share of global digital transactions and professional growth opportunities.
“Young population in India is technologically empowered, and that’s why you can see that 47% of global digital transactions are happening in India, providing ample professional growth opportunities here,” he stated.
Just last December, UK-based accountancy firm Evelyn Partners announced that they are considering outsourcing its basic accounting work to India as it rapidly expands its operations.