Diwali sales 2026: CAIT says trade tops Rs 6 lakh crore
By Siddharth VermaBusiness Correspondent, Peepals Bharat
Representative image: DEZALB / Pixabay
CAIT said on 7 November 2026 that Diwali trade has passed Rs 6 lakh crore, Delhi above Rs 1 lakh crore, and should exceed Rs 7 lakh crore.
What Happened
Diwali-related trade across India has passed Rs 6 lakh crore and is expected to exceed Rs 7 lakh crore for the festive season, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said in a statement on Saturday, 7 November 2026, the eve of Diwali. Delhi alone has recorded festival trade of more than Rs 1 lakh crore, according to CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal. The traders' body said rising footfall in markets and strong buying sentiment were behind its estimate.
Key Facts
- Nationwide Diwali-related trade had crossed Rs 6 lakh crore by 7 November 2026, CAIT said.
- CAIT expects the total for the season to exceed Rs 7 lakh crore.
- Delhi's Diwali-related trade has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore, according to the statement.
- On 14 October CAIT had forecast festive trade above Rs 7 lakh crore for the Navratri-to-Diwali period, growth of an estimated 15-18% over last year.
- Last year's festive trade was about Rs 6.05 lakh crore: Rs 5.40 lakh crore in goods and Rs 65,000 crore in services, according to CAIT.
- Reports named gold, jewellery, electronics, clothing, sweets, household products and Swadeshi (Indian-made) goods among the strongest sellers.
- CAIT's figures are trade-body estimates covering a broad range of goods and services, not audited sales data.
Why It Matters
CAIT is a national body of traders, and its estimates are one of the few nationwide readings of how much Indians spend in the festival season from Navratri to Diwali, published while the season is still under way.
The figures suggest that festive demand has held up. CAIT's statement links the numbers to higher footfall in markets, and its Secretary General had said in October that inflation was unlikely to dampen consumer spending this year.
The numbers should be read with care. They are estimates from a traders' body, not official data from a government agency. CAIT's figure covers a wide basket of goods and services, so it cannot be compared directly with figures for organised retail or online sales. An earlier CAIT projection of Rs 4.75 lakh crore, reported in early October, appears to have used a narrower scope; coverage does not explain the difference, so the two figures should not be read as a revision of one another.
The focus on Swadeshi goods is also notable. Reports this season named Swadeshi, or Indian-made, goods among the leading sellers, though CAIT has not given a 2026 figure for their share of sales.
Peepals calculation: if festive trade reaches Rs 7 lakh crore against last year's Rs 6.05 lakh crore, the rise would be about 15.7% (7 ÷ 6.05 ≈ 1.157), at the lower end of CAIT's forecast range of 15-18%. Delhi's Rs 1 lakh crore is about one-sixth, or 16.7%, of the Rs 6 lakh crore of nationwide trade recorded so far (1 ÷ 6). Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Measure | Figure | Source of estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Nationwide trade so far (7 Nov 2026) | Above Rs 6 lakh crore | CAIT statement |
| Expected season total | Above Rs 7 lakh crore | CAIT statement |
| Delhi trade | Above Rs 1 lakh crore | CAIT statement |
| Last year's festive trade | About Rs 6.05 lakh crore | CAIT |
| Forecast growth | 15-18% | CAIT, 14 October |
Impact
Short-term: Traders and small manufacturers benefit from strong demand in the final days before Diwali, and suppliers of gold, electronics, clothing and sweets see their busiest period of the year.
Long-term: A good festive season supports the incomes of small businesses and their workers, and can shape how much stock traders order for the coming months. Official data, such as GST collections for the period, will give a firmer picture later.
Who is affected: Small traders and shopkeepers; MSMEs that make festive goods; workers in retail and manufacturing; and consumers, whose spending these estimates reflect.
Key Takeaway
CAIT says Diwali-related trade passed Rs 6 lakh crore by 7 November 2026, with Delhi above Rs 1 lakh crore, and expects the season's total to exceed Rs 7 lakh crore.
Questions and Answers
How much were Diwali 2026 sales in India?
According to the Confederation of All India Traders, Diwali-related trade passed Rs 6 lakh crore by 7 November 2026 and is expected to exceed Rs 7 lakh crore for the season. These are trade-body estimates, not official data.
How much did Delhi spend on Diwali 2026?
CAIT said Delhi's Diwali-related trade had crossed Rs 1 lakh crore.
How does Diwali 2026 trade compare with last year?
CAIT put last year's festive trade at about Rs 6.05 lakh crore. A total of Rs 7 lakh crore would be about 15.7% higher, within CAIT's forecast of 15-18% growth.
What sold most during Diwali 2026?
Reports named gold and jewellery, electronics, clothing, sweets, household products and Indian-made Swadeshi goods among the main drivers of demand.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Siddharth Verma, Business CorrespondentCovers Business and more for Peepals Bharat. All stories by Siddharth Verma
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Siddharth Verma is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
