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Staples, grains and food access
What consumption surveys can establish about staple baskets and the limits of using spending as food security.
Rural India consumption expenditure by category
August 2023–July 2024. All persons represented in the rural household-survey population; item means include non-consumers.
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| Place or category | ValueINR per person per month | Share% |
|---|---|---|
| Cereals and cereal substitutes | 206 | 4.99% |
| Pulses and their products | 84 | 2.04% |
| Sugar and salt | 37 | 0.89% |
| Milk and milk products | 348 | 8.44% |
| Vegetables | 248 | 6.03% |
| Fruits | 158 | 3.85% |
| Egg, fish and meat | 203 | 4.92% |
| Edible oil | 114 | 2.77% |
| Spices | 135 | 3.27% |
| Beverages, refreshments and processed food | 406 | 9.84% |
| Food total | 1,939 | 47.04% |
| Pan, tobacco and intoxicants | 158 | 3.84% |
| Fuel and light | 252 | 6.11% |
| Education | 133 | 3.24% |
| Medical | 282 | 6.83% |
| Conveyance | 313 | 7.59% |
| Consumer services excluding conveyance | 217 | 5.25% |
| Miscellaneous goods and entertainment | 256 | 6.22% |
| Rent | 23 | 0.56% |
| Taxes and cesses | 9 | 0.21% |
| Clothing, bedding and footwear | 273 | 6.63% |
| Durable goods | 267 | 6.48% |
| Non-food total | 2,183 | 52.96% |
| All items | 4,122 | 100% |
Current-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.
Original source table ↗ · Table 3.5, printed pp.30–31 / PDF pp.48–49
Download this complete tableUrban India consumption expenditure by category
August 2023–July 2024. All persons represented in the urban household-survey population; item means include non-consumers.
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| Place or category | ValueINR per person per month | Share% |
|---|---|---|
| Cereals and cereal substitutes | 263 | 3.76% |
| Pulses and their products | 98 | 1.4% |
| Sugar and salt | 40 | 0.57% |
| Milk and milk products | 503 | 7.19% |
| Vegetables | 288 | 4.12% |
| Fruits | 271 | 3.87% |
| Egg, fish and meat | 249 | 3.56% |
| Edible oil | 127 | 1.82% |
| Spices | 161 | 2.3% |
| Beverages, refreshments and processed food | 776 | 11.09% |
| Food total | 2,776 | 39.68% |
| Pan, tobacco and intoxicants | 166 | 2.37% |
| Fuel and light | 391 | 5.59% |
| Education | 418 | 5.97% |
| Medical | 409 | 5.85% |
| Conveyance | 592 | 8.46% |
| Consumer services excluding conveyance | 400 | 5.72% |
| Miscellaneous goods and entertainment | 484 | 6.92% |
| Rent | 460 | 6.58% |
| Taxes and cesses | 23 | 0.33% |
| Clothing, bedding and footwear | 396 | 5.66% |
| Durable goods | 481 | 6.87% |
| Non-food total | 4,220 | 60.32% |
| All items | 6,996 | 100% |
Current-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.
Original source table ↗ · Table 3.5, printed pp.30–31 / PDF pp.48–49
Download this complete tableDefinitions and evidence to use
What consumption surveys can establish about staple baskets and the limits of using spending as food security.
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.
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