UPSC Economics Optional Syllabus 2025, Paper 1 and 2 Syllabus

As a devoted aspirant for UPSC IAS Exam, you will be expected to have sufficient knowledge of the Indian Economy, as the knowledge about the concepts covered will have practical application throughout your IAS career. UPSC Economics subject requires a thorough conceptual understanding in the Prelims Exam. However, the aspirants choosing Economics as their optional subject have to go in-depth about the concepts. Besides, the basics of the Indian Economy, the aspirant must keep themself updated with the recent economic trends and policies of the country. In the article below, we have discussed an overview of the topics from Indian Economics that you must cover when you are preparing for the IAS Mains Exam and have opted for Economics as an Optional Subject.

UPSC Economics Syllabus 2025

The first and foremost step in preparing for the UPSC CSE (Civil Service Examination) is that the IAS aspirants must be familiar with the UPSC syllabus for the particular subject. Economic NCERTs are necessary to understand the basics, but for a dynamic subject like Economics Optional, only NCERTs are not sufficient for understanding the UPSC Economics Optional Syllabus. There are two papers for Economics optional subjects and the syllabus is given below.

UPSC Economics Paper 1 Syllabus

UPSC Economics Optional Paper 1 will be of 250 marks and it includes 5 units, namely:

Advanced Microeconomics
Advanced Macro Economics
Money-Banking and Finance
International Economics, and
Growth and Development.

The complete syllabus for each topic is as detailed below.

UPSC Economics Optional Paper 2 Syllabus

UPSC Economics Paper 2 will be of 250 marks with 2 units- Indian Economy in Pre-Independence Era and Indian Economy After Independence. The IAS aspirant must prepare with the concept and data from the topics to be covered under the UPSC Economics Syllabus Paper 2.

UPSC Economics Optional Syllabus Paper 2

Marks Distribution for UPSC Economics Optional Subjects

As per the trends of the previous year's UPSC Economics Mains Exam, the marks distribution that could be predicted for the upcoming UPSC Economics Optional Exam could be somewhere between these numbers. The aspirants must focus on the high scoring section first, heading to the less-scoring sections later on.

UPSC Economics Syllabus- Marks Distribution (Expected)
Topics	Probable Number of Questions
Indian Economy	40 to 45 questions
Micro and Macro Economics	35 to 40 questions
International Economics	15 to 20 questions
Money, Banking & Public Finance	10 to 15 questions
Growth and Development	9 to 10 questions
Statistics	7 to 10 questions

UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2025- Click Here

UPSC Syllabus for Mains & Optional Subject

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UPSC Economics Syllabus: FAQs

Ans. As Economics is not as popular as some other subjects like Public Administration or Geography, Economics has a good success rate among candidates.

Ans. No, UPSC Economics Syllabus is elaborated for Mains Optional Subject.

Ans. The UPSC Economics Syllabus for Optional Exam is not confined to the basic definitions but candidates have to study on the concepts.

Ans. The aspirants who have keen interest in understanding the Indian Economy must go with Economics as their optional subject or who have completed their graduation with Economics Subject.