National Income Accounting
Methodology and Data Sources
India's national income is computed by the National Statistical Office (NSO), which sits under MoSPI. GDP is estimated using both the production approach (GVA by economic activity) and the expenditure approach (consumption + investment + government spending + net exports). A key methodological challenge has been estimating the unorganised sector, which accounts for nearly 45% of GVA but lacks comprehensive annual data. The 2011-12 series relied on the 2010-11 NSS enterprise survey as a benchmark, applying annual growth ratios from organised sector data — an assumption widely criticised for introducing systematic bias.
- GDP at current prices vs constant prices: constant prices use the base year's price structure to isolate real growth from inflation
- Single deflation (current method for most sectors): deflates gross output by a single price index — criticised for not capturing input price changes
- Double deflation (new method for manufacturing): separately deflates output and inputs, yielding more accurate real value added
- New data sources being integrated: GST returns (capturing formal sector transactions), e-Vahan (vehicle registration data), Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE), Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)
- Unorganised sector GVA under new series: value added per worker (from ASUSE) multiplied by total workforce (from PLFS), calculated annually
● Tracked since February 15, 2026 · last seen March 10, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes