Investing in India

Are we drawing the Wrong Conclusions from India's Data?

Episode Notes

What if the Indian middle class is just the top 5%? Why is unemployment so low, but jobs so scarce? And are India’s glowing growth numbers really telling the whole truth?

In this new episode in our Investing in India series, journalist and author Rukmini S (Whole Numbers and Half Truths) joins Hansi to unpack how Indian data is collected, where it misleads, and why context is everything — especially for investors and policymakers.

 

📊 What we cover:

Is India’s statistical system broken—or better than we think?

Why GDP growth numbers sparked controversy

The myth of India’s massive middle class

Why a 3% unemployment rate hides underemployment and informal work

How 40% of working women earn no wages at all

The real story behind urbanization, caste, and inequality

Why phone access ≠ internet access (and what it means for digital India)

How better data (and better questions) could change India's future

And much more!