India’s Middle Class Boom: “Taxpayer Numbers More Than Double In Just 11 Years”, Says FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Rajya Sabha that India’s economy is expanding beyond the elite, with the middle class growing steadily. She said the number of income-tax payers has risen sharply from 5.26 crore in 2013–14 to 12.13 crore in 2024–25, more than doubling in just 11 years. This, she noted, represents one of the largest structural expansions of India’s middle class. Sitharaman stressed that a widening tax base and voluntary compliance reflect economic growth, rising confidence, and greater public participation, not suppression.