CSR spending by listed firms up 17.5% to Rs 22,563 crore in FY25

CSR spending by listed companies increased 17.5% to Rs 22,563 crore in fiscal 2025, a Crisil report said. The number of firms reporting such expenditure grew 20% to 2,013, the fastest increase in a decade, with compliance also strengthening.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending by listed companies rose 17.5 per cent to Rs 22,563 crore in fiscal 2025 from Rs 19,208 crore a year earlier, while the number of companies reporting such expenditure grew 20 per cent, the fastest increase in a decade, Crisil said in a report.

The number of companies reporting CSR spending increased to 2,013 in FY25 from 1,678 in FY24, with established contributors accounting for most of the additional spending and new companies also adding to the pool, Crisil said. The findings are part of Crisil's CSR Yearbook 2026, based on an analysis of 2,323 listed companies that met at least one CSR applicability threshold based on their financial performance in the preceding fiscal.

Compliance also strengthened during the year, with 1,364 companies spending at least 2 per cent of their average profits on CSR in FY25, compared with 1,124 in FY24.

Crisil Managing Director and CEO Amish Mehta said the increase in participation and wider spread of social investments reflected “meaningful progress in India Inc’s CSR journey”.

“The growing emphasis on areas such as environment and rural development signals a more purposeful and holistic approach to social impact,” Mehta said.

Spending Highlights and Growth Areas

Education and skill development remained the largest area of CSR spending at Rs 9,182 crore, accounting for nearly 41 per cent of total expenditure, followed by healthcare and sanitation at Rs 5,386 crore, or almost 24 per cent. At the same time, environment, rural development and sports recorded the fastest growth. Environmental spending nearly quadrupled to Rs 2,371 crore, while rural development expenditure rose to Rs 1,632 crore and sports spending nearly tripled to Rs 753 crore.

The report cautioned that the sharp rise in some themes should be viewed in the context of improved disclosures, as nearly Rs 9,900 crore of CSR expenditure in FY24 was reported without an activity-wise break-up.

Top Contributing Industries

Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) was the largest industry contributor with Rs 5,066 crore, followed by manufacturing at Rs 4,530 crore and energy at Rs 3,067 crore. Together, the three sectors accounted for 56 per cent of total CSR spending.

Future of CSR Reporting

Going ahead, Crisil said improving reporting standards and more detailed disclosures would give stakeholders greater visibility into where CSR funds are deployed and the outcomes they help create. (ANI)

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