Skip to main content

How is GDP calculated in India?

We often come across the news headlines about rise or fall in GDP, commonly referred to as growth rate of a country. But what is GDP and how is it calculated?

What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the value of all final goods and services produced in the domestic territory of a country during a financial year. 

How is GDP calculated?

GDP is measured at –

  1. Constant prices (at prices of base year 2011-12) also known as Real GDP
  2. Current prices also known as Nominal GDP

When growth rate of a country is talked about, it refers to rise or fall in GDP (at constant prices).

GDP can be calculated using following methods –

  1. Income / production / supply-side components
  2. Expenditure components

GDP calculation using income / production / supply-side components

GDP = GVA at basic prices (+) Net taxes on products

Gross Value Added (GVA) at basic prices

Gross Value Added (GVA) measures the difference between the value of the final goods and the cost of ingredients used in its production, net of taxes and subsidies. Basic price is the amount receivable by the producer (seller) from the buyer for a unit of a good or service produced after deducting taxes payable and adding the subsidy receivable on that unit.

GVA at basic prices = CE (+) OS/MI (+) CFC (+) Production taxes (-) Production subsidies 

Where, 

  • CE – Compensation of Employees
  • OS / MI – Operating Surplus / Mixed Income – difference between revenue and expenditure of corporates / non-corporates enterprises
  • CFC – Consumption of Fixed Capital i.e. Depreciation
  • Production taxes or subsidies are paid or received with relation to production and are independent of the volume of actual production. Examples of production taxes are land revenues, stamps, and registration fees. Examples of production subsidies are subsidies to railways, subsidies to village and small industries.

GVA of following sectors is taken into account for calculation of GDP–

  1. Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing
  2. Mining & Quarrying
  3. Manufacturing
  4. Electricity, Gas, Water Supply & Other Utility Services 
  5. Construction 
  6. Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication & Services related to Broadcasting 
  7. Financial, Real Estate & Professional Services 
  8. Public Administration, Defence & Other Services

Net taxes on products

Net taxes on product = product taxes (-) product subsidies

Product taxes or subsidies are paid or received on per unit of product. Examples of product taxes are excise tax, service tax, import duty, etc. Examples of product subsidies are food, petroleum, and fertilizer subsidies; interest subsidies given to farmers, households, etc.

GDP calculation using expenditure components

GDP = Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) + Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE) + Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) + Change in Stocks (CIS) + Valuables + Net Exports (i.e. Exports minus Imports) + Discrepancies

What is Nominal and Real GDP / GVA?

  • Nominal GDP / GVA = GDP / GVA at current prices
  • Real GDP / GVA = GDP / GVA at constant prices = GDP / GVA after adjusting for inflation

Domestic Product

  • Gross Domestic Product (GDP) = GVA at basic prices (+) Net taxes on products
  • Net Domestic Product (NDP) = GDP (-) Depreciation

National Income

  • Gross National Income (GNI) = GDP (+) Net primary income from abroad (receipts minus payments)
  • Net National Income (NNI) = GNI (-) Depreciation
  • Net National Income (NNI) = NDP (+) Net primary income from abroad (receipts minus payments)
  • Primary Incomes = Compensation of Employees (+) Property and Entrepreneurial Income

National Disposable Income

  • Gross National Disposable Income (GNDI) = GNI (+) other net current transfers from abroad (receipts minus payments)
  • Net National Disposable Income (NNDI) = GNI (-) Depreciation
  • Net National Disposable Income (NNDI) = NNI (+) other net current transfers from abroad (receipts minus payments)
  • Other Current Transfers refers to current transfers other than the primary incomes.

Who publishes GDP and national income data? 

National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, releases the Provisional Estimates (PE) of National Income as well as Quarterly Estimates of GDP, along with the corresponding estimates of expenditure components of GDP both at Constant (2011-12) and Current Prices in accordance with the release calendar of National Accounts.

Follow at - Telegram   Instagram   LinkedIn   Twitter

Comments

Popular Posts

Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 (RB-IOS, 2026)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026. Who is RBI Ombudsman and RBI Deputy Ombudsman? RBI may appoint one or more of its officers as RBI Ombudsman and RBI Deputy Ombudsman, to carry out the functions entrusted to them under the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS).  The appointment of RBI Ombudsman or RBI Deputy Ombudsman shall be for up to 3 years at a time. RBI Ombudsman shall have the power to examine and close all complaints.   RBI Deputy Ombudsman shall have the power to close those complaints falling under clause 10 of the RB-IOS (i.e. non-maintainable complaints) and complaints resolved as per the provisions of the clause 14(8)(a) to 14(8)(c) of the RB-IOS (i.e. complaint resolved / withdrawn). Which entities are covered under the RB-IOS? RB-IOS shall be applicable to the following Regulated Entities (REs) – Commercial Banks Regional Rural Banks  State Co-operative Banks Central Co-operative Bank...

Modified Interest Subvention Scheme for Agricultural Loans

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has published the modified interest subvention scheme (MISS) for short term loans for agriculture and allied activities availed through Kisan Credit Card (KCC) during the financial year 2025-26. Which loans are covered under modified interest subvention scheme (MISS)? The short-term crop loans and short-term loans for allied activities including animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, bee keeping etc. up to an overall limit of ₹3 lakh to farmers through KCC during the year 2025-26 will be covered for interest subvention. Which lending institutions are covered under MISS? The MISS is applicable to the lending institutions viz. Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Private Sector Banks (in respect of loans given by their rural and semi-urban branches only), Small Finance Banks (SFBs) and computerized Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) ceded with Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), on use of their own resources.  How much is the interest subvention? The a...

Internal Ombudsman for Regulated Entities (Banks, NBFCs, PPI Issuers and CICs)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued directions on Internal Ombudsman for regulated entities. To whom shall the directions on Internal Ombudsman (IO) be applicable? The directions on IO shall be applicable to the following Regulated Entities (REs) – Commercial Banks (other than Small Finance Banks, Payment Banks, and Local Area Banks) having 10 or more banking outlets in India as on March 31, 2025, whether such bank is incorporated in / outside India Small Finance Banks having 10 or more banking outlets in India as on March 31, 2025 Payments Banks having 10 or more banking outlets in India as on March 31, 2025 Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) fulfilling the following criteria as on March 31, 2025 – Deposit-taking NBFCs (NBFCs-D) with 10 or more branches Non-Deposit taking NBFCs (NBFCs-ND) with asset size of ₹5,000 crore and above and having public customer interface Non-Bank Prepaid Payment Instruments Issuers having more than 1 crore Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) outstan...

Financial Literacy Week (FLW) 2026

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has observed financial literacy week from February 09 to 13, 2026. Financial Literacy and Financial Education Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) defines ‘financial literacy’ as a combination of financial awareness, knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achieve individual financial well-being.  OECD defines ‘financial education’ as the process by which financial consumers / investors improve their understanding of financial products, concepts and risks and through information, instruction and / or objective advice, develop the skills and confidence to become more aware of financial risks and opportunities, to make informed choices, to know where to go for help and to take other effective actions to improve their financial well-being. Financial Literacy Week (FLW) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been observing Financial Literacy Week (FLW) every year since 2016 to p...

What is Reserve Bank of India – Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI)? (Updated on February 12, 2026)

There have been continuous efforts by various stakeholders for digitization of payments in the country. But how to we measure the impact of these efforts?  What is Reserve Bank of India – Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI)? Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constructed a composite Digital Payments Index (DPI) to capture the extent of digitization of payments across the country. What are the parameters of RBI-DPI? The RBI-DPI comprises of five broad parameters that enable measurement of deepening and penetration of digital payments in the country over different time periods. These parameters along with their weights in the RBI-DPI are as follows –  Payment Enablers (25%) Payment Infrastructure – Demand-side factors (10%) Payment Infrastructure – Supply-side factors (15%) Payment Performance (45%) Consumer Centricity (5%).  Each of these parameters have sub-parameters which, in turn, consist of various measurable indicators.  What is the base year for RBI-DPI? The RBI-DPI ...