UPSC Economy Syllabus — Every Topic, Listed
Economy is where aspirants lose easy marks to jargon. Covered concept-by-concept — national income, money & banking, fiscal policy, external sector — it becomes one of the most scoring subjects.
Below is the complete Economy syllabus as UPSCGenie teaches it: 5 topic groups, 37 topics — every one of them a full, source-cited lesson in the app, with practice questions attached.
Basics & National Income (4 topics)
- Economic concepts, sectors & organisation
- National income aggregates (GDP, GNP, NNP)
- Methods of measuring national income
- Growth vs development, HDI & other indices
Money & Banking (9 topics)
- Money supply & its measures
- RBI - functions & role
- Monetary policy tools & transmission
- Banking system structure & NPAs
- Banking sector reforms
- Money market instruments
- Capital market & SEBI
- Insurance, pensions & IRDAI
- Financial inclusion
Public Finance (6 topics)
- Budget - components & key terms
- Types of deficits & their financing
- Direct taxes
- Indirect taxes & GST
- FRBM Act & fiscal consolidation
- Fiscal federalism & devolution
External Sector (7 topics)
- Balance of Payments
- Exchange rate systems & rupee movement
- Foreign exchange reserves
- Foreign trade & trade policy
- FDI vs FPI
- External debt
- IMF, World Bank & WTO
Growth & Development (11 topics)
- Planning in India & NITI Aayog
- Inflation - types & measurement
- Inflation - causes & control
- Poverty - estimation & alleviation
- Unemployment - types & measurement
- Sustainable development, demographics & social sector initiatives
- Inclusive growth & government schemes
- Agriculture economy - MSP, subsidies, marketing
- Food security & PDS
- Industry, MSME & industrial policy
- Infrastructure - energy, transport, PPP
How to cover this subject
Work through the topic groups in the order listed — the sequence builds concepts before applications. After each topic, attempt its previous-year questions; after finishing the subject, take a mock test and let the checkpoint flag weak topics for revision. See the full UPSC syllabus for how this subject fits the overall study plan.
Frequently asked questions
How many topics are in the UPSC Economy syllabus?
In UPSCGenie's teaching tree, Economy for Prelims breaks into 37 topics across 5 topic groups: Basics & National Income, Money & Banking, Public Finance, External Sector, Growth & Development.
Are there free lessons for the Economy syllabus?
Yes — every Economy topic listed on this page has a full, source-cited lesson in UPSCGenie (English and Hindi), with recall questions, and the subject ends with a scored checkpoint.
Is this the official UPSC syllabus for Economy?
It covers the officially notified syllabus, organised into teachable topics. For the authoritative one-line syllabus text, always refer to the current UPSC notification; this page expands it into the concrete topics the paper actually tests.
More free UPSC resources
Personalised weekly schedule, source-cited lessons, daily current affairs, mock tests and an AI mentor. English and Hindi. No card needed.
Start studying free →