Revised Kuppuswamy and Prasad scale 2026: new income categories

Abstract

Socioeconomic Status (SES) is a fundamental determinant of health outcomes. In India, the B.G. Prasad and Kuppuswamy scales are widely utilized tools for SES classification. However, their income-based components are highly sensitive to inflation, requiring regular updates to prevent the misclassification of study populations. This study aims to provide the updated income categories for the Modified B.G. Prasad and Kuppuswamy scales for the year 2026, based on the latest Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW). The income categories were recalculated using the All-India CPI-IW for January 2026 (148.2) with the base year 2016=100. For the B.G. Prasad scale, linking factors for 1960, 1982, and 2001 were applied to determine the new per-capita income thresholds. The new income thresholds reflect the inflationary changes of 2026. For the B.G. Prasad scale, the Class I (Upper Class) threshold is now ₹9,741. For the Kuppuswamy scale, the highest income score (12) now requires a monthly family income of  ₹1,65,420. Periodic updates of SES scales are essential for accurate epidemiological research and equitable health policy formulation. These revised 2026 indices provide researchers with standardized tools for current field-based studies.