First pan-India household income survey to be done next year
What's the story
The Indian government is set to conduct its first nationwide household income survey in February 2026. The National Household Income Survey (NHIS) aims to fill a major data gap in understanding income distribution and inequality across the country. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will conduct the survey through its National Statistics Office (NSO).
Survey details
Major shift in data collection
The NHIS will collect detailed information on household income, expenditure patterns, and sources of income in both rural and urban areas. The survey aims to provide direct and comparable estimates of income levels across the country. This is a major shift from existing methods which rely on consumption expenditure data due to the lack of direct income estimates.
Pre-testing phase
Pre-testing exercise completed in August
To prepare for the survey, MoSPI had conducted a pre-testing exercise of the draft questionnaire across 15 regional offices in August 2025. The exercise covered both the affluent and non-affluent areas in major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. A technical expert group chaired by Surjit S. Bhalla supervised the pre-testing exercise.
Feedback invitation
MoSPI invites public feedback on draft NHIS schedule
The MoSPI has now made the pre-test findings and draft NHIS schedule public for consultation. Researchers, policymakers, and citizens have been invited to give their feedback by October 30, 2025. The ministry is particularly interested in suggestions related to wages, self-employment income, property income, and remittances. This survey will help provide a clearer picture of income distribution across regions and social groups in India.
Questionnaire scope
Key features of the NHIS questionnaire
The NHIS questionnaire will include questions on income from government schemes like Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, sovereign gold bonds, ESOPs, etc. It will also ask about expenditure on alimony, child care, parent care, etc. The survey will seek information on 'live-in' as a marital status option and details about salary, financial assets income, and tax paid.