Patterns and Inequality in Household Education Expenditure in India

<p><span>This study investigates the patters and determinants of household expenditure in India, utilizing a novel livelihood-based analytical framework.&nbsp;</span><span>Drawing on unit-level data from the&nbsp;</span><span>NSS 80th Round (2025) Comprehensive Modular Survey: Education 2025</span><span>&nbsp;encompassing 57,742 enrolled students, the research moves beyond traditional urban-rural or income-level binaries to examine how economic stability and occupational types influence educational investment.&nbsp;</span><span>The findings reveal a significant hierarchical gradient in spending.&nbsp;</span><span><span><span>The findings reveal a significant hierarchical gradient in spending, with</span></span><span><span><span>&nbsp;urban households with regular wage employment spend 5.6 times more<span>&nbsp;per student annually</span>, contrasting sharply with rural casual agricultural&nbsp;</span></span></span><span><span>laborers.&nbsp;The study employs the&nbsp;<span>Concentration Index (CI)</span>, yielding a value of&nbsp;<span>0.36,</span></span></span></span><span><span><span>&nbsp;indicating substantial&nbsp;<span>pro-rich inequality</span>, suggesting that educational resources are disproportionately concentrated among wealthier households and that family income remains a primary determinant of educational opportunity<span>.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span><span><span>The study concludes that education financing policies must shift toward livelihood-specific interventions to mitigate deep-seated economic disparities and foster equitable access to quality education in India.</span></span></p>