The Indian Middle-Class Crisis

Over the past decade, not only have Indians borrowed at an increasing rate whilst their incomes have stagnated, but now they are also one of the most indebted people across the world (excluding mortgages), surpassing the US and China. Most worryingly, most of these retail loans are NOT for creating assets but for satisfying daily consumption needs. To put this in historical context, India’s NET household financial savings (as a % of GDP) is at its lowest level in the last 50 years due to a steep rise in household financial liabilities.