Archive · 23 Sep 2026
India’s New GDP Series Broadens Measurement With Solar, Gig Work
India has created a new way to calculate its GDP, which is a measure of economic activity.
The new system uses 2022-23 as its base year.
It counts electricity that families make with rooftop solar panels and use themselves.
It also includes more biogas plants in the calculations.
Surveys can now better measure gig workers, delivery workers and people running small informal businesses.
Household workers such as cooks, drivers and cleaners are also included through labour data.
The system lists more products and industries than before.
It also uses newer data from GST, vehicle records and company filings.
These changes do not necessarily mean India produced more, but they may help the accounts measure existing activity more completely.
India’s 2022-23 GDP base-year series includes household-generated rooftop solar electricity for own consumption.
The methodology expands coverage of biogas plants and uses newer household, labour and administrative data.
Annual surveys can capture gig work, domestic workers and unincorporated businesses more directly.
The product-industry framework expands from 140 products and 66 industries to 155 products and 67 industries.
Greater use of double deflation, GST, VAHAN and corporate records aims to improve economic estimates.
- Who
- The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is responsible for the revised national accounts methodology.
- What
- India replaced its earlier 2011-12 GDP series with a 2022-23 base-year series that expands coverage and uses updated data sources.
- When
- The new series was released in February 2026, and the methodology publication was released on September 21.
- Where
- The changes apply to India’s national accounts and GDP estimates.
- Why
- The revisions aim to capture more economic activity directly and use more current surveys, administrative data and price-measurement methods.
- New base year
- 2022-23
- Previous base year
- 2011-12
- Product coverage
- Expanded from 140 to 155 products
- Industry coverage
- Expanded from 66 to 67 industries
- Double deflation
- Used in agriculture and manufacturing, including 28 of 30 manufacturing categories
- Rooftop solar estimation
- Household Consumption Expenditure Survey and population projections are used for 2022-23 and 2023-24; installed-capacity growth and electricity prices are used from 2024-25
- Administrative data
- GST, PFMS, VAHAN and corporate records are used more prominently