Retail inflation affected bottom 20% of rural India more, shows CRISIL data

The impact of inflation on different income classes depends on their consumption pattern and the weight of those items in the consumer price index

While the headline retail inflation gives a broad picture of price rise, its impact on different income classes needs to be gauged.

Data computed by CRISIL shows that its impact on the bottom 20 per cent of the rural population was lesser than the upper 20 per cent and middle 60 per cent in the first five months of the calendar year 2021. Later, particularly after April 2022, it started affecting the bottom 20 per cent of the rural population more with a few exceptional months. However, in March 2023, its impact on the bottom 20 per cent and the