Top 10 loss making companies in India 2025
As of mid-2025, several Indian companies, particularly in the telecom, startup, and industrial sectors, have continued to report significant losses. The most notable loss-making firms include established telecommunications player Vodafone Idea and a cohort of high-growth tech startups like Byju's and Swiggy.
Based on multiple financial news reports covering the fiscal year (FY) 2024–2025, here are some of the top loss-making companies in India.
Top loss-making companies (FY2025)
- Vodafone Idea: One of India's largest telecom providers, Vodafone Idea (Vi), reported the single largest loss, with a net loss of ₹27,383 crore in FY25. The company continues to struggle with intense market competition, high debt, and large regulatory dues.
- Byju's: The once high-flying ed-tech unicorn is in steep decline, with industry estimates placing its FY25 losses at well over ₹8,000 crore. The losses are linked to over-expansion, poor integration of acquisitions, and the post-pandemic shift away from online learning.
- Swiggy: The food and grocery delivery platform reported a consolidated loss of ₹3,117 crore in FY25. A major contributor to its losses is the high operating cost of its quick-commerce vertical, Instamart.
- Ola Electric Mobility: As it pivots into electric vehicles, Ola is facing mounting losses, with a reported loss of ₹2,276 crore in FY25. Its challenges include production bottlenecks and rising competition.
- PharmEasy: The health-tech company has seen its losses swell, reporting a net loss of ₹2,731 crore in the previous fiscal year due to high customer acquisition costs and logistics challenges.
- PhonePe: Despite dominating India's digital payments, PhonePe reported a loss of ₹2,014 crore in FY23, a trend that is likely to continue in FY25. The company's zero-fee UPI model and high infrastructure costs have hampered profitability.
- DailyHunt: The content and short-video platform saw a ₹2,563 crore loss in FY23. While it has a massive user base, the company struggles with monetization, especially in smaller towns, and faces high content production costs.
- NMDC Steel: This subsidiary of the National Mineral Development Corporation reported a loss of ₹816 crore in FY25 due to industry pressures and operational inefficiencies.
- Alok Industries: The textile manufacturing subsidiary of Reliance Industries continues to report losses due to ongoing operational challenges.
- Competitive pressure: In sectors like telecom, fintech, and e-commerce, intense competition forces companies to spend heavily on customer acquisition and offer discounts, eroding profit margins.
- High-burn startups: India's startup ecosystem is maturing, and investors are shifting their focus from "growth at all costs" to profitability. Companies like Byju's and Swiggy, which expanded rapidly using venture capital, are now feeling the pressure to show a path to sustainable earnings.
- Transition to new business models: Companies like Ola, which are transitioning to electric vehicles, incur high initial costs for research and development, setting up production, and building a new supply chain. This investment phase results in higher losses in the short term.
- Structural issues: Older companies and some public sector units (PSUs) suffer from accumulated debt, operational inefficiencies, and changing market dynamics. Vodafone Idea's high debt load is a prime example.
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