Amid ongoing volatility in the stock markets, over 35 lakh new investors have joined the stock markets in November, according to a report by the National Stock Exchange (NSE). This surge has taken the total number of investors to 10.85 crore at the end of November, compared to 10.5 crore in October."Retail interest in the markets led to significant milestones being crossed. The number of unique investors passed the nine crore mark in February, 10 crore in August and currently stands at 10.85 crore. The number of accounts through these investors trade (UCCs) is nearly 21 crore" said the report.Last month, the NSE had announced that the total registered investors surpassed the 10-crore mark in August and reached 10.5 crore by October 2024. It said "Total registered investors stood at 10.5 crore mark in Oct'24: After crossing the 10-crore (100 million) mark in August".Maharashtra continues to lead the country with highest number of registered investors. The state accounts for approximately 1.8 crore investors, although its share of the total investor base has declined from around 20 per cent in FY15 to 16.5 per cent in November 2024.Uttar Pradesh retains the second position with a significant rise in its investor base. The state crossed the one-crore milestone in April and reached 1.2 crore investors by the end of November, representing 11.3 per cent of the total investor base, up from 6.9 per cent in FY15.Gujarat follows with 94.9 lakh investors, while West Bengal and Rajasthan recorded 62.5 lakh and 61.4 lakh investors, respectively. Together, these five states account for 48.3 per cent of the total registered investors.Interestingly, the report also noted a growing contribution from states beyond the top 10. These states now account for 27 per cent of the total investor base, up from 23 per cent in FY20. Bihar and Assam have significantly contributed to this increase, reflecting rising retail interest in smaller regions.The surge in investor participation indicates growing awareness and interest in stock markets across the country, including in less prominent states. (ANI)