LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 722 million users across more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. India is LinkedIn’s second largest market after the United States, with over 82 million users as of July 2022. So yes, LinkedIn is available and widely used in India.
LinkedIn entered the Indian market in 2007 and has seen tremendous growth since then. India represents LinkedIn’s biggest international success story. The platform has become an integral part of the Indian professional ecosystem and provides great value to users in terms of networking, job search, freelancing, content publishing, and marketing.
LinkedIn’s Popularity in India
LinkedIn has attained immense popularity in India due to the following reasons:
Rapid Internet Penetration
Internet penetration in India has grown exponentially over the past decade, leading to an explosion of social media usage. Cheap data plans have allowed more Indians to get online and platforms like LinkedIn. India had over 658 million internet users as of January 2022.
Rise of Knowledge Economy
The need for a professional networking platform like LinkedIn has risen with India becoming a global hub for IT, ITES, financial services, and other knowledge economy jobs. LinkedIn allows Indian professionals to connect with employers, candidates, partners, and thought leaders worldwide.
Networking Culture
Indians have a natural affinity towards networking due to the entrenched culture of connections and references. LinkedIn provides a modern, digital platform to organize and leverage professional connections.
Young Demographic Profile
With a median age of 28 years, India has a young population that is tech-savvy and socially active online. Young Indians find immense value in building their professional profiles and networks on LinkedIn.
Job Market Opportunities
India has a rapidly growing job market across sectors, along with increasing professional churn. LinkedIn enables job-seekers to access new opportunities and helps companies connect with suitable talent.
LinkedIn India User Statistics
Here are some key facts about LinkedIn’s user base in India:
– Total user accounts – 82+ million (Q2 2022)
– Monthly active users – 33+ million (2022 estimate)
– Annual user growth rate – ~30%
– Gender composition – 65% male, 35% female
– Age distribution – 18 to 24 years (42%), 25 to 34 years (39%), 35 to 54 years (17%), 55+ years (2%)
– Top cities – Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Pune, Hyderabad
– English language users – 45 million+
– Regional language users – 12+ million
– Member profiles in Hindi – 7+ million
– College students – 15+ million
– LinkedIn sessions per day – 8 million+
– Monthly page views – 4 billion+ (Q2 2022)
Top Professional Groups
Group Name | Members |
---|---|
Microsoft Student Partners (Global) | 386,000+ |
MBA – Master of Business Administration | 302,000+ |
Amazon | 278,000+ |
Infosys | 260,000+ |
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) | 251,000+ |
Wipro | 243,000+ |
Accenture | 241,000+ |
Flipkart | 239,000+ |
IBM | 217,000+ |
Capgemini | 215,000+ |
This table shows some of the most popular professional groups on LinkedIn India in terms of membership count (as of September 2022). The Microsoft Student Partners group has the highest membership among Indian users. Other major groups represent leading technology companies, e-commerce firms, consulting companies, and MBA programs.
Key LinkedIn India User Insights
Here are some interesting insights on how Indian users leverage LinkedIn:
Networking and Personal Branding
Indian professionals extensively use LinkedIn for networking and building their personal brand. They regularly update their profiles, share content, and expand connections.
Job Opportunities
LinkedIn has become a magnet for active and passive job seekers in India. It serves as a 24×7 online talent marketplace with rising penetration in tier 2 and 3 cities.
Staying Updated
Users follow leading companies, thought leaders, schools and publishers to stay abreast of news, insights, and opportunities in their industry through content feeds.
Content Publishing
Long-form articles and blog posts are gaining traction as a content format. Indians are leveraging LinkedIn’s reach to establish thought leadership.
Lead Generation
Inbound marketing via content, groups and ads on LinkedIn is catching on for lead generation, especially among B2B companies.
Offline to Online (O2O)
Offline events, conferences and meetups are gaining heightened exposure and year-round engagement due to extensive activity on LinkedIn around them.
Key LinkedIn Offerings in India
LinkedIn offers localized experiences and features to cater to Indian users and recruiters:
Profile Languages
LinkedIn profiles can be built in English, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati and Kannada. This improves discoverability and networking.
Lite App
LinkedIn Lite is a compact mobile app tailored for low bandwidth internet and older Android phones. It has over 75 million users in India.
Job Search
LinkedIn has the maximum number of active job listings in India across industries and locations. It provides personalized job recommendations.
Skills Assessment Tests
Skill tests can be taken for programming languages, software tools and professional skills. Test scores can be showcased on profiles.
InMail Credits
Premium account holders get InMail credits to directly contact other members and get recruiters’ attention.
Creator Mode
This new feature helps members create and monetize content on LinkedIn through additional analytics.
Localized Advertising
Self-serve advertising options in Hindi and English help Indian businesses target the LinkedIn audience contextually.
Page Experience Ads
Sponsored content can be published on company pages to engage visitors and contacts through organic looks.
Conclusion
In conclusion, LinkedIn has a very strong presence in India based on the country’s massive population, growing professional segment, increasing internet adoption and affinity for online networking. It has over 82 million users in India, making it LinkedIn’s second largest market globally. The platform is gaining widespread adoption for networking, job search, content publishing and online marketing. LinkedIn continues to develop India-focused offerings and initiatives as it taps into the country’s vast professional talent pool. The service has become integral for white-collar professionals and recruiters in India to connect, leverage opportunities and accelerate their careers.