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Food budgets and consumption baskets
The cost and composition of food consumption, distinct from income, nutrition and spending only among buyers.
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Selected checked indicators
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| Measure | Value | Who or what is counted? | Period and evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rural food share of total consumption expenditureRural India · Food Spending | 47.04% | All persons represented in the rural household population; all-category expenditure is the share denominator | August 2023–July 2024 Official source ↗Table 3.5, printed pp.30–31 / PDF pp.48–49; Food total / rural Definition and limitsCurrent-price monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE), not income, salary, cash purchases alone or a median. Reference period August 2023–July 2024. Uses the report’s series excluding additional imputation for specified free social-welfare items. Ordinary valuation of home-produced and otherwise received consumption is still included. Every item mean uses all estimated persons in the rural or urban population, not only its buyers, consumers or tenants. Urban rent of ₹460 is not the average monthly rent paid by a renting household. Clothing, bedding and footwear are combined in Table 3.5. The processed-food group includes purchased cooked meals and snacks; it is not synonymous with ultra-processed food. Rounded rupee categories may not sum exactly to the printed rounded total; published values and shares are retained rather than recomputed from rounded rupees. |
| Urban food share of total consumption expenditureUrban India · Food Spending | 39.68% | All persons represented in the urban household population; all-category expenditure is the share denominator | August 2023–July 2024 Official source ↗Table 3.5, printed pp.30–31 / PDF pp.48–49; Food total / urban Definition and limitsCurrent-price monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE), not income, salary, cash purchases alone or a median. Reference period August 2023–July 2024. Uses the report’s series excluding additional imputation for specified free social-welfare items. Ordinary valuation of home-produced and otherwise received consumption is still included. Every item mean uses all estimated persons in the rural or urban population, not only its buyers, consumers or tenants. Urban rent of ₹460 is not the average monthly rent paid by a renting household. Clothing, bedding and footwear are combined in Table 3.5. The processed-food group includes purchased cooked meals and snacks; it is not synonymous with ultra-processed food. Rounded rupee categories may not sum exactly to the printed rounded total; published values and shares are retained rather than recomputed from rounded rupees. |
Definitions and evidence to use
The cost and composition of food consumption, distinct from income, nutrition and spending only among buyers.
Start with the geographic unit, observation period and denominator. Compare counts with counts, rates with rates and spending at compatible prices. Read the original table’s coverage before calculating a total or interpreting a difference.
Next questions and clear gaps
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