India’s ₹2,070 cr probiotics surge: Gut health goes mainstream

India’s probiotics market has doubled in five years, reaching ₹2,070 crore in 2025 with 22% annual growth, driven by rising demand for gut health solutions. While pharma giants lead the market, dairy players like Amul and Mother Dairy and start-ups like The Good Bug are expanding their probiotic offerings.

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As more Indians look to improve gut health, strengthen immunity, and enhance digestion, probiotics are gaining prominence in daily diets. According to PharmaTrac, the probiotics market saw robust double-digit growth of 22% on a Moving Annual Total (MAT) basis in May.

“The probiotics market has almost doubled in the last five years,” said Sheetal Sapale, vice president, commercial, PharmaTrac. The market has expanded from ₹1,016 crore in 2021 to ₹2,070 crore in 2025, indicating growing consumer adoption.

Major pharmaceutical firms such as Sun Pharma, USV, Zydus, Torrent, Mankind, and Dr Reddy’s dominate the space. However, newer product launches in the past two years have only generated around ₹49 crore, showing that legacy brands continue to drive the category. Sapale noted, “The probiotics market has become a very important market as far as restoration of gut health is concerned.” Probiotics are especially recommended for ailments like diarrhoea and stomach infections, and for mitigating side effects such as nausea caused by certain medications. The market has posted a five-year CAGR of 19% in value terms and continues to perform strongly.

In India, over 90% of the probiotics market consists of pharmaceutical products, followed by dairy-based offerings. Amul and Mother Dairy are at the forefront of the latter category, while start-ups like The Good Bug and WellBeing Nutrition have seen increased investor backing. Amul claims to be the largest probiotic brand, selling 3 million litres of probiotic buttermilk daily.

Manish Bandlish, MD, Mother Dairy said to ET, “Our probiotic portfolio currently contributes around 45% to our overall fresh dairy products portfolio.”