India more than triples influencer count in four years, travel category sees strong rebound

India's influencer count grows significantly.

The influencer industry—worth an estimated Rs 1,900 crore in 2023 and which picked up pace during the pandemic when many turned content creators, from the elite to the ordinary—had by the end of 2024 seen a threefold jump in digital gurus.

The number of influencers in India expanded to 40.6 lakh last year from 9.6 lakh in 2020, a 322 percent increase in four years, according to an analysis by Qoruz, an influencer marketing intelligence platform.

The platform's co-founder and CEO, Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, said that the surge in influencer count in India reflects the rising demand for niche content and brand collaborations across diverse sectors.

It may have started with fashion and lifestyle but the industry has in the last two or three years seen a new crop of influencers offering tips on health, education and finance, among a host of other things.

"The creator economy has grown from fewer than a million influencers in 2020 to over 4 million in just three years. This isn’t just about numbers; it is about how creators are transforming the way we communicate, shape trends and connect with audiences," Bhuvaneswar said.

He pointed out that influencers have become cultural architects, leading conversations and setting the tone for brands to follow.

Technology and data have been game changers in this space, he said, adding that brands now sift for the perfect creators and craft campaigns with them to reach broader audiences.

Qoruz also analysed the rise of influencers across various categories from January 2020 to December 2024, highlighting growth trends, key contributors and the evolving dynamics of the market.

Infotainment saw the highest growth at 448 percent while gaming recorded the fastest growth of 213 percent from 2020 to 2022, and maintained its momentum to reach 4,67,000 influencers by the end of 2024.

Infotainment and finance recorded rapid increases from 2020 to 2022, with growth rates of 126 percent and 91 percent, respectively. By the end of 2024, the infotainment segment reached 2,03,000 influencers. Finance grew to 2,32,000, up 268 percent from 63,000 creators in 2020.

Emerging categories like parenting too recorded strong growth. The number of people dispensing advise on raising children grew from 87,000 influencers in 2020 to 3,62,000 in 2024.

In terms of absolute numbers, fashion emerged as the category with the highest influencer count with 4,70,000 by 2024 from 2,74,000 in 2020. Arts and entertainment emerged as the third biggest category after gaming in terms of influencer count at 430,000.

Another steady category was health and fitness, along with lifestyle. Both segments doubled their influencer base during this period (2020-2024).

While many categories in the influencer space grew during the pandemic, the one hit hard was travel due to the lockdown situation across the globe. Revenge travel post-pandemic, however, contributed in a big way to the segment's strong revival, with a 212 percent growth in 2023 compensating for earlier declines. The category, which initially declined by 38 percent (from April 2020 to March 2022), rebounded with a 67 percent growth between 2022 and 2024. Travel had 1 lakh influencers between April 2020 and March 2021. This number fell to 62,000 during the same period a year later (April 2021 to March 2022). Influencer count in travel reached 3,24,000 by 2024.

Another category that saw a decline in 2022 versus 2020 was food, with its influencer count dropping to 1,57,000 from 1,64,000. That there was an appetite for the category was borne out by the fact that the number jumped to 2,42,000 influencers by the end of last year.

Aditya Gurwara, Qoruz's co-founder and head of brand alliances, noted that over the years, they have seen a significant shift in how brands approach their marketing strategies. The influencer marketing industry is estimated to grow 79 percent to Rs 3,400 crore by 2026 from Rs 1,900 crore in 2023, he added.

"Influencers have moved beyond product endorsements to becoming strategic partners for brands. Categories like gaming, travel and lifestyle are growing at an exceptional pace. This isn’t just the future of marketing—it’s already shaping the present," he pointed out.