FM Sitharaman: Middle class to drive 93% of India spending by 2036, powered by tier-II/III cities
Finance Minister frames India's expanding middle class — growing 6.3% annually since 1995 and lifting 248M out of poverty — as the consumption engine of growth. With 500 cities emerging as economic centres and 93% of spending set to come from middle/affluent consumers by 2036, category-level retail demand tailwinds strengthen through the decade.
FM Sitharaman frames India's expanding middle class, concentrated in tier-II/III cities, as the consumption-led engine of growth, with 93% of spending driven by middle/affluent consumers by 2036 — signaling category-level demand tailwinds for retail.
Why this matters
Sitharaman's framing positions India's expanding middle class and tier-II/III cities as the structural consumption engine, signaling multi-year retail demand tailwinds across categories.
Retail-company theme accelerating at +543400% QoQ.