India's new GDP series to reboot consumption maths as spending shifts

India will use household consumption survey data to estimate spending in the revised GDP series, reflecting a shift as families now spend more on non-food items than food

In 2023-24, rural as well as urban Indian households spent more of their monthly budgets on non-food items like conveyance, clothing, and durable goods, than food items, marking a shift from previous decades. Now, these changed consumption patterns will be used to improve the consumption spending estimates computed to arrive at the economy’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

For the country’s revised GDP series, slated to be released on February 27, 2026, India's official statistical machinery has decided to use data from the Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys (HCES) conducted over 2022-23 and 2023-24, along with other survey and administrative data sources,