India is the world's fastest-growing major economy on paper — but prices, savings, jobs and stocks tell a more complicated story.
Bangladesh, growing slower at 4.7%, has a higher per-capita income than India ($2,911 vs $2,813).
| Item | Mandi ₹/kg | Retail ₹/kg |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 12 | 20 |
| Onion | 36-45 | 75-80 |
| Tomato | 23-25 | 40-60 |
| Beans | — | 50-60 |
| Brinjal | — | 40-60 |
| Cabbage | 15 | 40 |
| Cauliflower | 30 | 60-80 |
| Sugar | — | 70 +30-40% |
Food & beverage inflation: 5.95% in Aug 2026. Restaurants/accommodation +8.38%, personal care +15.17%, transport +4.6%.
Post-TDS, the real return on fixed deposits shrinks further.
India has slipped from the world's 4th-largest stock market to 7th, overtaken by Taiwan and South Korea. FIIs have been net sellers every year since 2021.
| Segment | 2020 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| EWS households | 43% | 60% |
| Middle-income | 28% | 40% |
EMI-to-income ratio, EWS = Economically Weaker Section. Mumbai (69%) and Delhi-NCR (67%) sit well above the 50% affordability threshold. Affordable housing supply share fell from 52.4% (2018) to 17% (2025).
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Unemployment (Aug) | 5.0% vs 5.1% Jul |
| Urban unemployment | 6.8% up from 6.7% |
| Employment rate | 52.8% (+0.6pp YoY) |
| Tech layoffs 2026 | 190,058 people, 622 companies |
~709 tech layoffs a day in 2026 (TrueUp), as AI adoption pressures entry-level IT roles.
India's top personal tax rate (39%) exceeds the US (37%), Indonesia (35%), Bangladesh (30%) and Singapore (24%).
Data: MoSPI, IMF, RBI, Knight Frank, TrueUp tracker, brokerage & retail price data — Aug/Sep 2026