Findings

What the numbers actually say. Every figure here is computed by this site from published statistics — the source is named under each one, and the tool that produces it is linked so you can check it against your own numbers.

Quotable, and meant to be quoted. If you are writing something and want the workings, the method sets out every assumption.

• ₹11,026

  is what the median Indian adult lives on each month

  Half of all Indian adults have less than this. The average is ₹24,533 a month, dragged up by the top.

  World Inequality Lab, 2022–23, uprated to 2025–26·check it yourself

• ₹30,422

  a month puts you in the top 10% of India

  A figure most people assume is ordinary is, nationally, the top decile.

  World Inequality Lab, uprated to 2025–26·check it yourself

• ₹2,16,919

  a month is the entry point to the top 1%

  About 98 lakh adults clear this line. Ten times that number live on less than ₹11,026.

  World Inequality Lab, uprated to 2025–26·check it yourself

• ₹22 lakh

  of net worth puts you in the wealthiest 10% of India

  A paid-off flat in a smaller city clears it. ₹82 lakh puts you in the top 1% by wealth.

  World Inequality Lab, wealth distribution, 2022–23·check it yourself

• top 1.5%

  of the world, on ₹1,00,000 a month

  The same income ranks in the top 2.5% within India. Supporting a family of four, it falls to the top 17% globally.

  World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform, PPP adjusted·check it yourself

• 26.3%

  of every rupee the government spends is interest on old debt

  It is the largest single line in the Budget — more than defence, education, health and agriculture combined. On a ₹30 lakh salary that is ₹1,24,924 of your tax.

  Union Budget 2026–27, via PRS Legislative Research·check it yourself

• 17.1g

  of gold is what ₹8,000 a month bought in 1995

  ₹1,00,000 a month today buys 6.4g. Twelve times the rupees, under half the gold.

  Historical Indian gold rates, 24K·check it yourself

• 8.9×

  the average Indian income is what ₹1,00,000 a month was worth in 2000

  In real terms the same money is 4.1× the average today. Not because you got poorer — the average Indian’s real income grew 2.2×.

  National accounts and CPI, World Bank·check it yourself

• ₹12.75 lakh

  is the salary at which income tax is still zero

  Under the new regime, with the standard deduction and the section 87A rebate, a salaried filer pays nothing up to this point.

  Income tax rules, FY 2026–27·check it yourself