Non-metro creators in India are struggling to monetize content
What's the story
India's creator economy is booming, with two-thirds of its contributors coming from smaller cities and towns. However, these non-metro creators are struggling to monetize their content effectively. A report by the Indian School of Business's Srini Raju Centre for IT and the Networked Economy (SRITNE) and Hashfame reveals that while non-metro creators have grown significantly in number, they still lack repeat brand partnerships that could provide a steady income stream.
Statistics
Non-metro creators make up 66% of India's creator landscape
The report highlights that non-metro creators made up 66% of India's 4.12 million creators in 2025, a significant jump from 44% in 2020.
The number of non-metro creators has grown by a whopping 6.4 times between 2020 and 2025, outpacing the growth rate of their metro counterparts at just 2.6 times during the same period.
Regional impact
Regional insights and creator distribution
The report also shows that Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Gujarat are producing more creators than their population share.
Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra together account for one in four creators.
More than half of these non-metro creators are nano influencers with 1,000-10,000 followers while another 28% fall into the micro-creator category with 10,000-100,000 followers.
Language dynamics
Language dynamics and engagement trends
The creator base is dominated by Hindi speakers (42%), but regional languages account for a larger share (58%).
Bhojpuri and Kannada remain under-monetized compared to their creator supply.
Despite the growth in creators, average engagement rates have increased from 1.8% in 2020 to 7.2% in 2025, indicating that audience demand has kept pace with this supply surge.
Income disparity
Monetization challenges persist for non-metro creators
Despite the growth in numbers, monetization remains a challenge for the non-metro creators.
According to Madhu Viswanathan, an associate professor of marketing at ISB-STRINE, around 15% of creators can earn a "good livelihood" from their work.
The rest see content creation as a supplementary income source rather than full-time employment.