An interactive dashboard exploring the prevalence of diet affordability and the expenditure gap across states, socio-demographic groups, and the income distribution — with and without government food support.
The Indian Council of Medical Research — National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) publishes Dietary Guidelines for Indians, specifying the food groups and quantities needed for a nutritionally adequate diet. The dashboard uses the ICMR-NIN recommended diet for a reference adult woman (55 kg, moderate activity, non-lactating) as the benchmark to assess affordability.
Whole grains like rice, wheat, ragi, bajra and jowar — the energy base of the Indian diet.
Dals, legumes, eggs, fish or meat — essential sources of protein, iron and B-vitamins.
Spinach and other greens rich in folate, iron and calcium.
A variety of seasonal vegetables for vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants.
Carrots & Radish providing energy and micronutrients.
Fresh, whole fruits daily for vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and natural sugars.
Milk and milk products for calcium, high-quality protein and essential fatty acids.
Cooking oils and visible fats used in moderation to meet essential fatty acid needs.
Groundnuts, almonds, sesame and other oilseeds for healthy fats, protein and minerals.
A fully interactive tool for researchers, policymakers, and journalists to investigate diet affordability patterns across India.
Toggle between HCES 2011–12 and 2023–24, or use the Compare mode to overlay both rounds and see how affordability has changed over a decade.
Switch between the prevalence of unaffordability (share of households who fall short) and the unconditional expenditure gap (₹/month shortfall).
See estimates with and without the imputed value of government food support (PDS subsidies), revealing the safety net's effect on affordability.
Slice data by sector (rural/urban), state, religion, social group, household head characteristics, presence of children, and month of survey.
All estimates come from a Bayesian model. Toggle 95% credible intervals on or off for both line charts and bar comparisons.
Export charts as PNG or SVG, download the current data view as CSV, or grab the full dataset and cost-of-diet data for your own analysis.
Select one or more groups within each dimension to compare affordability patterns side by side.
Rural vs. Urban — where the starkest affordability divides often emerge.
All 35 states and union territories, revealing vast geographic inequality.
Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and other religious groups.
Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, OBCs, and other groups.
Male- vs. female-headed households and their differing affordability profiles.
Households with and without children — capturing the burden on families.
Seasonal variation in diet affordability across the survey year.
Rigorous statistical modelling underpins every number in the dashboard.
The cost of a recommended diet is computed using ICMR-NIN dietary guidelines and state-sector level food prices from each HCES round, yielding a nutrition-adequate cost threshold.
Households whose total food expenditure (MPCE, adult-female-equivalent scaled, in constant 2011–12 ₹) falls below this threshold are classified as unable to afford the recommended diet.
Prevalence and expenditure-gap estimates are generated from a Bayesian model, providing posterior means and 95% credible intervals that honestly capture statistical uncertainty.
Estimates are produced both including and excluding the imputed monetary value of PDS and other government food subsidies, isolating the safety net's contribution to diet affordability.
Dive into the interactive dashboard to uncover patterns, compare groups, and download data for your own research.
Launch Dashboard