wl-7114-Middle Class in India: Trends and Patterns

The Middle class in India is an economically significant group that supports and balances the aspirations of the rich and opportunities for the poor. It supports vibrant political democracy and social harmony in a nation. The composition of the middle class is very diverse in every perspective. Researchers often use income as an indicator to identify or measure the middle class. This paper uses consumption as an indicator based on the Purchasing power parity (PPP) terms to identify the middle class. The paper further categorises the middle class into different groups based on their economic standing within its class, i.e. from the emerging middle class to the higher middle class. The paper's primary contribution is locating the middle class and tracing its trends and patterns.