The Government of India has launched its first-ever official nationwide survey dedicated to measuring household income.

The National Household Income Survey (NHIS) 2026, conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI, began its field operations this April. The survey aims to fill a 75-year-old data gap by moving beyond simple consumption proxies to record actual earnings from wages, agriculture, and informal work.

Data Gap

For decades, India has relied on consumption expenditure to estimate poverty and living standards. However, structural changes in the economy, including the rise of the gig economy and digital payments, have made direct income data essential.

The NHIS 2026 will cover nearly 4.5 lakh households across all States and Union Territories. It will capture detailed data on:

• Regular salaries and bonuses.
• Casual labor wages and tips.
• Self-employment earnings and agricultural profits.
• Remittances and property income.

Expert Oversight & Privacy

The survey is guided by a Technical Expert Group (TEG) chaired by Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla, former Executive Director at the IMF. To ensure accuracy, the Ministry is using tablet-based data collection and has established strict anonymity protocols.

Pre-survey testing showed that 95% of respondents consider income details "sensitive." To combat this, the NSO has launched a communication campaign to assure citizens that their data will remain strictly confidential under the Collection of Statistics Act.

The results, expected by mid-2027, will be a game-changer for Indian policymakers.

• The data will help modernize the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket, leading to more accurate inflation tracking.
• It will enable the government to assess the true reach of schemes such as "Doubling Farmers' Income" and urban employment programs.
• For the first time, the government will have a statistical base to measure the gap between India’s top and bottom earners.

MoSPI has also launched the Annual Survey of Incorporated Service Sector Enterprises (ASISSE). This separate exercise will survey over 1.21 lakh companies to build a comprehensive database of India’s booming services sector, further strengthening the country’s GDP estimation process.