Advanton publishes free statistics, charts and market research data for India, the United States and 217 countries. This page sets out the Advanton methodology: exactly how that data is collected, checked, calculated and published, so you can judge how far to rely on it and cite it with confidence.
Our principles
- Official sources first. Every figure starts from a government statistical agency or an international organisation: MoSPI, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US Census Bureau, the World Bank, GSTN and others.
- No invented figures. We never fill gaps with guesses presented as data. Where a figure is calculated by us, it is labelled as an estimate and the method is shown on the page.
- Show the source on every page. Each statistic names its source, period and notes, and links to the original publication.
- Free to read. Charts, data tables and analysis are free. A free account is needed only for file downloads.
- Independence. No organisation pays to appear in, or to change, any statistic.
Where the data comes from
| Area | Main sources | Licence or terms |
|---|---|---|
| India: household spending | MoSPI, Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24 | Government Open Data Licence – India |
| India: small businesses | MoSPI, Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2023-24 | Government Open Data Licence – India |
| India: factories | MoSPI, Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2024-25 | Government Open Data Licence – India |
| India: GST | GSTN monthly revenue reports | Government Open Data Licence – India |
| India: population | Population projections (Technical Group on Population Projections) | Government Open Data Licence – India |
| India: women’s internet use | National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), 2023-24 | Published survey tables |
| US: consumer spending | BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey | US government work (public domain) |
| US: jobs and pay | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook and employment statistics | US government work (public domain) |
| US: retail and e-commerce | US Census Bureau Monthly and Quarterly Retail Trade (via FRED for e-commerce share) | US government work (public domain) |
| World: 39 indicators | World Bank, World Development Indicators | CC BY 4.0 |
The full list for each topic, with dates, is on the data update log.
How we process the data
- Collect figures from the official release (tables, data files or APIs), recording the release name, date and table numbers.
- Store them in structured data files with their source, period and notes.
- Cross-check against the publisher’s own totals. For example, US consumer spending components must add up to the published total, and Indian state GST figures must add up to the national figure. Data that fails a check is not published until it is resolved.
- Compute derived figures: rankings, shares, growth rates, per-person values and comparisons with peers.
- Generate each statistic page from the stored figures: the chart, the data table, the citations and the explanatory text.
- Review samples of pages for accuracy, clarity and length before release.
Estimates and how we label them
Some useful figures are not published directly, so we calculate them. These are always marked "estimate" in the title, with the method on the page.
| Estimate | Method |
|---|---|
| India spending by category and state | India’s category share of spending (HCES 2023-24) applied to each state’s measured spending per person, separately for urban and rural areas |
| Market size for Indian business types | Demand side: spending per person on the categories a business sells into × projected 2025 urban and rural population × 12. Supply side: number of small businesses in the activity × average value added (ASUSE 2023-24) |
| US market size by spending category | Average spending per household (consumer unit) × number of households, each year (BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey) |
Estimates are orders of magnitude, not precise measurements. Household surveys capture less spending than national accounts, so our spending-based estimates are conservative.
Sample sizes and reliability
Survey figures carry sampling error. Where a state or category estimate rests on a small number of survey responses, we either flag it as indicative or do not publish it. Provisional figures (such as recent GST months) are labelled provisional and replaced when final figures are released.
How statistic pages are written
Advanton statistic pages are generated automatically from the stored official figures. The charts, rankings, comparisons and explanatory sentences are computed from the data; no figure on a page comes from anywhere other than the named source or a labelled Advanton calculation. Each page also shows "How this page was made" with its source, period and update date. Guides and articles are written and edited by people, using the same data.
Updates
We update datasets when the source publishes new figures: monthly for retail and GST data, quarterly for e-commerce, and annually for surveys and World Bank indicators. Each statistic shows "Data last updated", and the data update log lists every refresh.
Corrections
If you find an error, tell us through the contact page with the statistic’s address and what you believe is wrong. We check against the original source, correct confirmed errors promptly and note significant corrections in the update log.
Limitations
- Official data is published with a lag; the latest available year may be one to two years old.
- Survey definitions change over time, which can limit comparisons across years.
- Country data from the World Bank may be missing or older for some countries and indicators.
- Our estimates depend on stated assumptions; read the method before using them for decisions.
Citing Advanton
See how to cite Advanton for citation formats, embedding charts and reusing figures.
Last reviewed November 11, 2026. Startup costs are estimates; check local prices, licensing and tax rules before you commit money.
