Editorial DOI: 10.18231/2394-6776.2019.

0001

Modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale updated for the year 2019

Sheikh Mohd Saleem

Demonstrator, Dept. of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar, J&K, India

*Corresponding Author: Sheikh Mohd Saleem

Email: [email protected]

Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES) is one among important indicators to evaluate the health status and nutritional status of a family. It is a position
attained by any individual within a system of hierarchical social structure. Various attempts have been done in past by eminent scholars and
medical scientists to formulate a group of composite indexes to determine SES of an individual or a family living in urban or rural areas. The
scales have included various composite indexes to take into account details pertaining to an individual or any family. Among all the available
SES, the most widely used and popular scale in our country is “Modified Kuppuswamy SES” which is mostly used for urban areas. In this
paper, we have aimed at revising and providing an “Updated Modified Kuppuswamy SES” for the year 2019. The scale was initially
developed by Kuppuswamy in the year 1976 including index parameters like education, occupation, and total income which was further
modified in later years to include head of families educational status, occupational status and overall aggregate income of the whole family,
pooled from all sources. The Kuppuswamy SES has included 3 parameters and each parameter is further classified into subgroups and scores
have been allotted to each subgroup which have been defined later in this paper. The total score of Kuppuswamy SES ranges from 3-29 and
it classifies families into 5 groups, “upper class, upper middle class, lower middle class, upper lower and lower socio-economic class.” Due
to limitations, the Kuppuswamy SES needs regular update for income levels which is based on changing CPI values which makes the scale
vulnerable to fluctuations over time.

Keywords: Socioeconomic scale, Kuppuswamy scale, 2019 Update, Economic status.

Introduction for urban areas.5 However, due to the ongoing invasive

Socioeconomic status (SES) is one among important economic growth and socioeconomic evolution over these
indicators to evaluate the health status and nutritional status years, the available SES have rendered inefficient in serving
of a family. In other words, the socio-economic status may be their usual purpose. For this reason, they need regular
defined as “a position attained by any individual within a revisions over time to serve their purpose in ascertaining the
system of hierarchical social structure.”1 SES has a major role SES of an individual or any family.
to play in seeking health care services, accessibility issues, In this paper, we have aimed at revising and providing
affordability costs, acceptance by beneficiaries and overall an “Updated Modified Kuppuswamy SES” scale for the year
utilization of services by the people.2 In other words, the SES 2019.
of any community has an influence on morbidity and
mortality patterns in that particular community or geographic Modified Kuppuswamy’s SES Scale
region. Mostly in scientific and social studies, many times This scale was devised by Kuppuswamy and is the most
determining patients SES sometimes help in arriving widely used scale for determining the socio-economic status
diagnosis of an individual or family. That is why SES is of an individual or a family in urban areas.6 Initially the scale
always a pre-requisite in history taking for health care was formulated for determining SES of an individual but later
individuals. on, it was modified to determine SES of a family rather than
Various attempts have been done in past by eminent an individual.7 The scale was initially developed by
scholars and medical scientists to formulate a group of Kuppuswamy in the year 1976 including index parameters
composite indexes to determine SES of an individual or a like education, occupation, and total income which was
family living in urban or rural areas. The worth mentioning further modified in later years to include head of families
among those include, “Rahudkar scale in the year 1960, B. J educational status, occupational status and overall aggregate
Prasad scale in 1961, Udai Parikh scale in 1964, Jalota scale income of the whole family, pooled from all sources.8 The
in the year 1970, Kuppuswamy scale in 1976 and Bhardwaj Kuppuswamy SES has included 3 parameters and each
scale recently in the year 2001.”3 parameter is further classified into subgroups and scores have
All the scales have included various composite indexes been allotted to each subgroup which have been defined later
to take into account details pertaining to an individual or any in this paper. The total score of Kuppuswamy SES ranges
family. Many scales have included scoring systems and later from 3-29 and it classifies families into 5 groups, “upper
on classified individuals or families based on various class, upper middle class, lower middle class, upper lower
categories. The scales have been formulated individually for and lower socio-economic class.” The scale has been revised
urban as well as rural areas. The most common indexes taken interminable over the past years because the parameter of
into account include total income, educational status, and overall income of the family from all the sources scale loses
occupation.4 Among various scales for determining SES, the its pertinence following the devaluation in the worth of Indian
most widely and popularly used scales in India include rupee while the occupation of the head of family and
“Updated Modified Kuppuswamy SES” which is mostly used
Indian Journal of Forensic and Community Medicine, January-March, 2019;6(1):1-3 1
Sheikh Mohd Saleem Modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale updated for the year 2019

education of the head of the family remains the same with update and is based on changing CPI values which makes the
time. scale vulnerable to fluctuations in income levels.
In order to carry out and perform the regular revision of
the scale, the income scale in the Kuppuswamy SES is Table 1: Occupation of the head of the family
revised, “as per changes in the consumer price index (CPI) S. No. Occupation of the Head Score
for industrial workers as projected by the central ministry of Legislators, Senior Officials &
statistics and programme implementation on their website.”9 1 10
Managers
The values of the CPI are “explicated in reference to a base 2 Professionals 9
year”. As per the Labour Bureau, Government of India, “the Technicians and Associate
current base year to be taken into account is 2012.”10 An 3 8
Professionals
update of Kuppuswamy SES 2018 has used the latest base 4 Clerks 7
year for calculation purposes and has effectively determined Skilled Workers and Shop & Market
correct income slabs.11 Here in this paper, we will use 2012 5 6
Sales Workers
base year for calculating the income level of families to Skilled Agricultural & Fishery
determine their socioeconomic status. 6 5
Workers
For calculation CPI, the current inflation rate of February 7 Craft & Related Trade Workers 4
2019 i.e.: 2.57 has been taken into account.12 If we multiply Plant & Machine Operators and
the generated income scale values of the year 2012 with the 8 3
Assemblers
conversion factor of 2.57 that will update the Kuppuswamy
9 Elementary Occupation 2
SES scale for February 2019.3 The inflation rate is calculated
10 Unemployed 1
using the formula [(b-a/a) x 100], where ‘b’ is the CPI of
current year and ‘a’ is the CPI of last year.13 Kindly refer to
Table 2: Education of the head of the family
Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 for “Updated Kuppuswamy
socioeconomic scale 2019”. S. No. Education of the Head Score
Though the Kuppuswamy SES is most widely and 1 Profession or Honours 7
favorite scale used by social scientists, researchers in 2 Graduate 6
community-based and hospital-based studies. It too has some 3 Intermediate or diploma 5
limitations which render the scales sensitivity in assessing the 4 High school certificate 4
socioeconomic status of a family. Those include 5 Middle school certificate 3
consideration of educational status and type of occupation of 6 Primary school certificate 2
the head of the family for calculation of socioeconomic status 7 Illiterate 1
which is completely unsuitable taking the current scenario
into consideration. Moreover, the scale needs the regular

Table 3: Total monthly income of the family

Updated Monthly Family Updated Monthly Family Updated Monthly Family
S. No. Income in Rupees Income in Rupees Income in Rupees Score
(2012) (2018) (2019)
1 ≥ 30,375 ≥ 126,360 ≥ 78,063 12
2 15,188–30,374 63,182–126,359 39,033–78,062 10
3 11,362–15,187 47,266–63,181 29,200 –39,032 6
4 7594–11,361 31,591–47,265 19,516–29,199 4
5 4556–7593 18,953–31,590 11,708–19,515 3
6 1521–4555 6327–18,952 3,908–11,707 2
7 ≤ 1520 ≤ 6326 ≤ 3,907 1

Table 4: Kuppuswamy’s socio-economic status scale 2019

S. 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)

Indian Journal of Forensic and Community Medicine, January-March, 2019;6(1):1-3 2

Sheikh Mohd Saleem Modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale updated for the year 2019

Source of Funding: None. 7. Modified Kuppuswamy Scale | PSM Made Easy [Internet].
[cited 2019 Mar 2]. Available from:
http://www.ihatepsm.com/blog/modified-kuppuswamy-scale
Conflict of Interest: None. 8. Kuppuswamy B. Manual of socio-economic status scale
(urban). Delhi; Manasyan;1981.
References 9. Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation |
1. Miner L, Bolding P, Hilbe J, Goldstein M, Hill T, Nisbet R, et Government Of India [Internet]. 2005 [cited 2019 Mar 2].
al. Socioeconomic Status - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics Available from: http://www.mospi.gov.in/
[Internet]. 2015 [cited 2019 Mar 2]. Available from: 10. Labour Bureau Main [Internet]. [cited 2019 Mar 2]. Available
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and- from: http://labourbureau.gov.in/
dentistry/socioeconomic-status 11. Sheikh Mohd Saleem. Modified Kuppuswamy scale updated
2. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Assuring the Health for year 2018. Indian J Res 2018;7(3):6–7.
of the Public in the 21st Century. The Future of the Public's 12. India Inflation Rate 2019 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast |
Health in the 21st Century. Washington (DC): National News [Internet]. [cited 2019 Mar 19]. Available from:
Academies Press (US); 2002. 5, The Health Care Delivery https://tradingeconomics.com/india/inflation-cpi
System. Available from: 13. McMahon. How Do I Calculate the Inflation Rate? [Internet].
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221227/ 2014 [cited 2019 Mar 19]. Available from:
3. Singh T, Sharma S, Nagesh S. Socio-economic status scales https://inflationdata.com/inflation/Inflation_Articles/CalculateI
updated for 2017. Int J Res Med Sci 2017;5(7):3264. nflation. asp
4. Ramesh Masthi NR, Gangaboraiah, Kulkarni P. An
exploratory study on socio economic status scales in a rural How to cite this article: Sheikh Mohd Saleem. Modified
and urban setting. J Family Med Prim Care 2013;2(1):69-73. Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale updated for the year
5. Bairwa M, Rajput M, Sachdeva S. Modified Kuppuswamy's
2019. Indian J Forensic Community Med 2019;6(1):1-3.
Socioeconomic Scale: Social Researcher Should Include
Updated Income Criteria, 2012. Indian J Community Med
2013;38(3):185-186.
6. Shaikh Z, Pathak R. Revised Kuppuswamy and B G Prasad
socio-economic scales for 2016. Int J Community Med Public
Heal 2017;4(4):997.

Indian Journal of Forensic and Community Medicine, January-March, 2019;6(1):1-3 3