India to Launch First-Ever National Household Income Survey in 2026

The NHIS and ASISSE are the first pan-India surveys of their kind, designed to generate granular, policy-relevant data that India has lacked for decades.

India is set to close major data gaps in income and services-sector measurement with the launch of two landmark national surveys, as the National Statistics Office (NSO) prepares for countrywide fieldwork beginning in April 2026.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is convening an All-India Workshop of Trainers (AIWOT) in Chennai on 28–29 January 2026 to prepare officials for the rollout of the National Household Income Survey (NHIS) and the Annual Survey of Incorporated Service Sector Enterprises (ASISSE). Both surveys will run for one full year and will be conducted digitally across India, marking a first in scale and scope.

Filling Long-Standing Data Gaps

The NHIS and ASISSE are the first pan-India surveys of their kind, designed to generate granular, policy-relevant data that India has lacked for decades.

The NHIS will provide comprehensive insights into:

• Household income distribution and living conditions

• Sources of income and returns to labour, capital, and land

• Inter-household and inter-regional income comparisons

• Links between income patterns, economic activity, and access to essential goods and services

The data is expected to significantly strengthen evidence-based policymaking, supporting both universal and targeted welfare interventions and enabling better assessment of household well-being across socio-economic groups.

Mapping India’s Corporate Services Economy

The ASISSE will build a national database of the corporate services sector, capturing critical indicators such as:

• Gross Value Added (GVA)

• Fixed capital and capital formation

• Employment and emoluments

Using an enterprise-based approach aligned with the GSTN framework, ASISSE will generate estimates at state and industry levels, offering a clearer picture of a sector that plays a growing role in India’s economy but remains under-measured.

Preparing the Field Force

The Chennai workshop will bring together senior NSO officials and field functionaries from all zonal, regional, and sub-regional offices of the Field Operations Division. These participants will serve as Master Trainers, cascading training across the country ahead of the surveys’ launch.

The AIWOT is a critical preparatory step to ensure standardised digital data collection, data quality, and uniform implementation nationwide.

National Coverage, With One Exception

Both surveys will cover the entire Indian Union, except for villages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that remain inaccessible year-round due to geographical constraints.

With NHIS and ASISSE, India is poised to gain a far more detailed understanding of income inequality, household welfare, and the services economy—data that will shape economic policy, social programmes, and development planning in the years ahead.