Indian J Pediatr
DOI 10.1007/s12098-016-2223-y
COMMENTARY
Kuppuswamy’s Socio-Economic Status Scale: A Revision
of Occupation and Income Criteria for 2016
Mahesh R. Khairnar 1 & Umesh Wadgave 1 & Pranali V. Shimpi 2
Received: 19 July 2016 / Accepted: 17 August 2016
# Dr. K C Chaudhuri Foundation 2016
Socio-economic status (SES) is one of the most important
determinants of health of an individual and currently, it is
widely studied variable in public health and social science
research. SES is an indicator of economic and sociological
combined total measure of a person’s work experience and
of an individual’s or family’s economic and social position
in relation to others, based on income, education, and
occupation.
The most widely used scale for urban population is
Kuppuswamy Socio-economic scale which was given by
Kuppuswamy in the year 1976 [1]. The original scale is
based upon three components i.e., Occupation of the
head of the family, Education of the head of the family
and Total monthly income of the family from all
sources. The scale yields score of 3–29 and classifies
the study population into high, middle and low SES.
Education criteria is not changeable; however a revision
is proposed in the occupation criteria of this scale as
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
has revised occupation description in 2004 (National
Classification of Occupations - 2004) [2]. The revised
occupational divisions along with subdivisions have
been presented in Table 1 and occupational divisions
* Mahesh R. Khairnar
kmahesh222@gmail.com
1
Department of Public Health Dentistry, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed
University Dental College & Hospital, Sangli, Maharashtra, India
2
Department of Physiology, Lokamanya Tilak Municipal Medical
College & Govt. Hospital, Sion, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
along with assigned scored for each division have been
presented in Table 2.
Income ranges lose their relevance following inflation
and resultant depreciation in the value of the rupee [3].
The value of the rupee is influenced by monetary infla-
tion which means that the rupee does not retain the
same value each year in terms of the goods/ services
that may be purchased with the same amount.
Therefore, it is needed to update the income criteria
regularly for socioeconomic classification of study pop-
ulations. The update is linked to the All India Consumer
Price Index (CPI) [4]. Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an
index of the variation in prices for retail goods and
services that households acquire for the purpose of con-
sumption [5]. CPI numbers are widely used as a mac-
roeconomic indicator of inflation. Labour Bureau, Govt.
of India releases three CPI: CPI for Industrial Workers
(CPI-IW) base 2001, CPI for Agricultural Labourers
(CPI-AL) base 1986–87 and CPI for Rural Labourers
(CPI-RL) base 1984–85 [6]. The most commonly used
and the most appropriate CPI for revision of socioeco-
nomic classifications has been CPI (IW) as it represents
the expenditure of a normal working class family [7].
The scale has been modified in the previous years by
many authors based on the values of CPI-IW for that
particular year [8–11].
The authors have attempted to update the income
scale for May 2016 using corresponding CPI-IW.
Kuppuswamy original income groups of family for
1976 were based on 1960 as 100 (base). The prices
for 2016 have increased manifold compared to 1960
and that increase can be obtained by multiplying

Table 1 Revised Occupational Divisions along with sub-divisions (Source: National Classification of Occupations - 2004, Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship)
Sr. No. Divisions of occupation
1 Legislators, Senior Officials and Managers
2 Professionals
3 Technicians and Associate Professionals
4 Clerks
5 Service Workers and Shop & Market Sales Workers
6 Skilled Agricultural and Fishery Workers
7 Craft and Related Trades Workers
8 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers
9 Elementary Occupations
10 Workers not classified by occupations
original income groups with current CPI prices with a
multiplication factor (0.0735). The multiplication factor
(0.0735) is needed to convert the value of 1960 base to
the current base of 2001. CPI-IW (Base 2001 = 100)
shows the current price index as 275 on May 2016 [6].
Current income groups
¼ Original family income groups of Kuppuswamy ð1976Þ
 Current consumer price index  0:0735
Hence, the current income groups are obtained as follows:
2000 × 275 × 0.0735 = 40,430. (Values rounded off to nearest
ten for the lower limits of the respective income groups).
Updated Kuppuswamy Socio-economic Status scale for
2016 considering updated occupational divisions and updated
income scale has been shown in Table 2.
This scale has an inherent limitation that it considers the
total family income, but it does not take into account the
family size. A small family with a particular income will
have higher SES status than a bigger-sized family with
Indian J Pediatr
Sub-divisions
•Legislators and Senior Officials
•Corporate Managers
•General Managers
•Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Science Professionals
•Life Science and Health Professionals
•Teaching Professionals
•Other Professionals
•Physical and Engineering Science Associate Professionals
•Life Science and Health Associate Professionals
•Teaching Associate Professionals
•Other Associate Professionals
•Office Clerks
•Customer Services Clerks
•Personal and Protective Service Workers
•Models, Sales Persons and Demonstrators
•Market Oriented Skilled Agricultural and Fishery Workers
•Subsistence Agricultural and Fishery Workers
•Extraction and Building Trades Workers
•Metal, Machinery and Related Trades Workers
•Precision, Handicraft, Printing and Related Trades Workers
•Other Craft and Related Trades Workers
•Stationary Plant and Related Operators
•Machine Operators and Assemblers
•Drivers and Mobile-Plant Operators
•Sales and Services Elementary Occupations
•Agricultural, Fishery and Related Labourers
•Labourers in Mining, Construction, Manufacturing and Transport
•New Workers Seeking Employment
•Workers Reporting Occupations Unidentifiable or Inadequately Described
•Workers Not Reporting Any Occupations
similar income. Also, educational criteria need to be re-
vised by using suitable survey method. CPI-IW as well as
other CPI (CPI-AL and CPI-RL) do not encompass all the
segments of the population residing in the country. Hence
their use in calculation of income ranges as such does not
reflect the true picture of the price behavior in the country.
To overcome this drawback, Central Statistics Office of
Ministry of Statistics and Programme started compiling
new series of CPI for the entire urban population, viz.
CPI (Urban) base 2010, and CPI for the entire rural popu-
lation, viz. CPI (Rural) base 2010 and combined CPI for
the Urban and Rural population having the base 2010,
which would reflect the changes in the price levels of var-
ious goods and services consumed by the urban and rural
population [12]. Using these indices would probably give a
more accurate picture of socioeconomic status classifica-
tion for the entire urban and rural population and for the
country as a whole. These may be used when appropriate
linking factors are made available to link them to the
Indian J Pediatr

Table 2 Modified Kuppuswamy

socio-economic status scale, 2016 Sr. No. Education of the Head Score
1 Profession or Honours 7
2 Graduate 6
3 Intermediate or diploma 5
4 High school certificate 4
5 Middle school certificate 3
6 Primary school certificate 2
7 Illiterate 1

Sr. No. Occupation of the Head Score

1 Legislators, Senior Officials & Managers 10
2 Professionals 9
3 Technicians and Associate Professionals 8
4 Clerks 7
5 Skilled Workers and Shop & Market Sales Workers 6
6 Skilled Agricultural & Fishery Workers 5
7 Craft & Related Trade Workers 4
8 Plant & Machine Operators and Assemblers 3
9 Elementary Occupation 2
10 Unemployed 1

Sr. No. Monthly Family Income in Rs. (1976) Updated Monthly Family Score
Income in Rs. (2016)
1 ≥ 2000 ≥ 40,430 12
2 1000–1999 20,210–40,429 10
3 750–999 15,160–20,209 6
4 500–749 10,110–15,159 4
5 300–499 6060–10,109 3
6 101–299 2021–6059 2
7 ≤ 100 ≤ 2020 1

Sr. No. Score Socioeconomic Class

1 26–29 Upper (I)
2 16–25 Upper Middle (II)
3 11–15 Lower Middle (III)
4 5–10 Upper Lower (IV)
5 <5 Lower (V)

previously used series of CPI (IW) for a more accurate References

description of socioeconomic classification based on the
income of the individual study subject or family.
Contributions MRK: Design & concept, definition of intellectual con-
tent, manuscript preparation; UW: Manuscript preparation and editing;
PVS: Literature search, manuscript editing and review. Dr. Rajesh
Koppikar, Professor & Head, Department of Periodontology, Bharati
Vidyapeeth Deemed University Dental College & Hospital, Sangli,
Maharahstra, will act as guarantor for the paper.
Compliance with Ethical Standards
Conflict of Interest None.
Source of Funding None.
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