The duration of India’s Union Budget speech has steadily shortened over the past few years, reflecting a shift towards more concise presentations while keeping key fiscal announcements intact.
In 2019, the Union Budget speech lasted around 2 hours and 15 minutes. This expanded further in 2020, when the speech stretched to nearly 2 hours and 42 minutes, making it one of the longest budget addresses in recent history. The extended duration was largely due to detailed explanations of policy measures, taxation changes, and sector-wise allocations.
From 2021 onwards, a clear trend of shorter speeches emerged. The 2021 Budget speech lasted about 1 hour and 40 minutes, followed by a further reduction in 2022 to roughly 1 hour and 32 minutes. In 2023, the speech duration eased to around 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The trend continued in 2024, with the full Union Budget speech delivered in July lasting approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes. In 2025, the speech became even more compact, clocking in at about 1 hour and 14 minutes.
This gradual decline highlights a move towards sharper communication, with a greater reliance on detailed budget documents and post-speech briefings to convey granular policy details, while the speech itself focuses on headline announcements and priorities.
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