Canva India head on India market and how Indian users are creating designs in billions on the platform

India has emerged as the fourth-largest and one of the fastest-growing markets for Canva , the global graphic design platform , with ambitions to become its number one market in the coming years, according to Canva India head Chandrika Deb. The surge is fueled by robust adoption among creators, students, and increasing use of AI tools , as India solidifies its position as a hub for global tech and AI innovation. "Canva is the world's largest design platform today, and India is actually one of our top markets that is driving growth for Canva," Deb told PTI in an interview.

She revealed that Indian users have created over 2.8 billion designs on the platform, generating approximately 2.5 million new designs daily. India’s thriving digital ecosystem, backed by a young, digital-first population and rapidly expanding internet infrastructure, is propelling this growth. A Nasscom-BCG report projects India’s AI market to reach USD 17 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25-35 percent.

"We're the fourth largest market for Canva (in user base). We've also been consistently one of the fastest-growing markets, with strong double-digit growth over the last 2-3 years," Deb noted. She emphasized India’s potential, stating, "We have one of the world's largest student communities, we have one of the world's largest creator communities as well. So we definitely see India rising in the ranks. There's no reason why India shouldn't be the number one market for Canva, and that is the ambition we're all aiming for.

"Canva’s AI-driven features, such as Canva AI, Magic Write, Translate, and Magic Design, are seeing strong adoption in India across segments like creators, educators, small businesses, and knowledge workers. "People are really engaging in using Canva in their everyday lives, whether it's for work or personal use," Deb said.

Recognizing India’s mobile-first ecosystem, Canva has tailored its offerings with hyper-local content for weddings, festivals, and other culturally relevant use cases. The platform has also introduced flexible plans like one-day and one-week subscriptions to cater to Indian users. Strategic partnerships, including a recent collaboration with NCERT for a teacher certification program to integrate design thinking in classrooms, and collaborations with over 500 Indian creators to develop localized content, are further strengthening Canva’s foothold.

"Our mission is to reach every user in India, empower them to design, and educate them about the various features that we have," Deb said. "We've invested a lot in hyper-local brand building and building a truly local product, empowering Indian users to find content that is most relevant to them culturally, linguistically, socio-economically."