Services exports rose 13.7% to US$ 35.5 billion in August
India earned US$ 35.5 billion from services exports in August 2026 and paid US$ 18.9 billion for services imports, leaving a surplus of about US$ 16.5 billion.
Official title: Monthly Data on India’s International Trade in Services for the Month of August 2026 · Press Release 2026-2027/1221
What happened
India's services exports, such as software, consulting and business services, were US$ 35,471 million in August 2026, up 13.7% from August 2025. Payments for imported services were US$ 18,934 million, up 21.4%. India earned about US$ 16.5 billion more than it paid.
From April to August 2026, services exports added up to about US$ 180 billion and imports to about US$ 94 billion. Imports have been growing faster than exports for several months, though the surplus is still large. Figures for July and August are provisional.
What it means for you
No direct effect. A strong services surplus brings in dollars, which helps keep the rupee steady and imported goods affordable. It also reflects demand for jobs in IT and other service exports.
What it means for businesses
Service exporters are growing at a healthy double-digit pace. Faster growth in imports shows Indian firms are buying more foreign services, such as shipping, software and consulting.
Links in this release, explained
- Balance of payments, Q1 2026-27 (September 1, 2026)
RBI's September 1, 2026 release on the balance of payments for April to June 2026. The April to June services numbers in this table were revised using that data.
rbi.org.in/scripts/BS_PressReleaseDisplay.aspx?prid=63493
Read the original
Press release on rbi.org.in ↗ Official PDF ↗
This explainer simplifies the official text. If anything here differs from the RBI's release, the release is right.