Got this question from mail,
what are these income,production and expenditure methods in calulating GDP?how do terms like NNP, NDP, GNP,GDP,NNPFC,NNPMP DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER. what is difference between gdp at constant prices and current prices. its very confusing
I’ll deal with each question in one post. First, lets refresh the concepts again.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) means,
Money value of everything you produce within your country.
(Domestic=within country).
Everything means products and services.
GNP (Gross National Product) means,
The Money value of everything you produce within your country PLUS your income from abroad. Anil Kapoor goes to America, get 5 million dollar$ to play baddie in Mission Impossible 4, but sends that money to India = counted in India’s GNP.
But with same logic, Cricket Coach Gary Kirsten gets 50 lakh rupees from BCCI, and sends it to his family in S.Africa, you’ve to deduct it from India’s GNP. (South Africans will count it in their GNP)
Similarly, Americans will subtract the dollar value of Anil Kapoor’s remittance to India while counting their GNP.
So, what’ll be the (stupid) formula?
Gross National production=Money value of everything produced within India+Incoming money from outside-Outgoing money to abroad.
Or you can simply say
GNP = GDP + incoming money from abroad – Outgoing money to abroad.
How GDP calculated and what is are these income, production and expenditure methods.
GDP is calculated by three methods.
Theoretically all three of them should give same final number, but in reality there will be slight difference between each of them.
#A: EXPENDITURE METHOD OF COUNTING GDP
Here you count the money spent by everyone.
So How to make a ‘technical’ formula? Ask yourself, where is the money changing hands? There are five components of that.

#1: CONSUMPTION BY PRIVATE CITIZENS [C]
like you and me buying (overpriced) daal, vegetables and milk (courtesy: Sharad Pawar).
I buy your second-hand bike for 15,000 Rupees, should we including it in the consumer Expenditure (C) ? Nope. Because the bike Is not ‘produced again.
![]() |
| Second hand products are not counted |
When you had bought that bike for Rs.30000, 10 years ago, we had counted that money in that year’s GDP. So second hand-product sale money cannot be counted in this year’s GDP.
Now, I buy your second-hand bike from an auto dealer, (who gets Rs.1000 Commission) should we include it in the (C)? Hell Yes, because he sold his ‘service’ to me uniquely. Every time he sells a second hand product, although no new ‘product’ is created but new service is delivered by him.
WHAT IF SAME 1000 RUPEE NOTE IS CHANGING HANDS?
![]() |
| Each service or product has separate value even if same currency note is used to purchase it |
I gave a note of Rs.1000 to that dealer as part of his brokerage (dalaali) and he gives the same Rs.1000 note to the electricity company for his monthly bill.
Same Rs.1000 note is changing hands so is our GDP =Rs.1000? Nope. GDP is the money value of everything produced within India. So brokerage service is Rs.1000 separately and the electricity produced is also worth Rs.1000 separately. Therefore, Even as same 1000 rupee note is given to both parties.
Total GDP=1000 brokeage+1000 electricity bill=Rs.2000
If electri.co gives that 1000 rupee note to its peon as salary, then again it has to be counted. Because peon sold his unique service separately to the company. So in that case
Total GDP =Brokerge+Electric bill+peon^’ salary=Rs.3000
#2: Investment [I]
People investing in sharemarket, putting money in banks etc.
#3: Government spending [G]
Like buying (overpriced) sports equipment from Kalmaadi’s associates during Common wealth games. Government paying salary to staff, buying new tanks and missiles..everything.
#4, 5 :Export & Import [X & M]
Money we get from export is added.
You remember that GDP means Money value of everything we produce within India. So if we import something, it has to be subtracted, because it is not produced within India.
So formula (for ease In remembering)
GDP = Consumer+Investor+Governer + (eXporter – iMporter)
Technically correct formula:
GDP(Expenditure)=C+I+G+(X-M)
#B: Income Method of counting gdp
Here you count everyone’s income. But some people may be running business in credit (udhaari), sometimes payments are delayed. So may not give the ‘full picture’ for the given year.
#C: Production method of counting gdp
Total money value of everything produced (value added at each stage)
- Farmer produced Wheat and sold 100 kg of it @ 2000 Rs. (Original value)
- Flour mill, purchased it, grinded it and sold the flour to baker @ 2500 Rs. (+500 value added to previous purchase)
- Baker made breads, cookies and biscuits and sold the total production @3500 Rs to its final customers. (+1000 value added to previous purchase)
what is total ‘GDP’ here?
2000+2500+3500=8000 Rs? Hell no! You’ve to see the value added.
So, total money value of this line is: 2000+500+1000=3500.
Not all of the wheat goes into Baker’s oven. Some of it will go in making beer, some in a normal household for making roti and so on. You’ve to track the value added in each different line.
To be continued… GDP at nominal price, Market price, Factor Cost, etc.etc.etc.

![[Image]](http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/3862/bikes.png)
![[Image]](http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/3066/notechanginghands.png)
Murnal sir,my general knowledge is nill. i want to improve myself . i want learn from the basics but i am really confussed and i am really not able to make it out. so can you please suggest me any books or magazines or website through which i gain information.
Theoretically speaking, will tax increase effect GDP?
You make every topic looks so simple …..Just awesome :)
I started a new hobby as reading Mrunal.org various post on Economics and Everything.
Courtsey :Sharad Pawar Lolz………
Thanks mrunal for wonderful presenation, God bless You.
I started a new hobby as reading Mrunal.org various post on Economics and Everything.
Courtsey :Sharad Pawar Lolz………
Thanks mrunal for wonderful presenation, God bless You
Sir,ur articles are very useful…can u please explain Indian jurisdiction related to Italy case???
@renu: National income-is the total value of a country’s final output of all the goods and services produced in one year.
HELLOW MRUNAL SIR , I AM REGULARLY GOING THRU YOUR ARTICLES AND THESE ARE VERY HELPFUL.
SIR CAN U PLEASE EXPLAIN NATIONAL INCOME GNP NDP GNPfc GNPmc ETC
thanx….sir
great bro,may god bless u.every bit of success will result of ur efforts. thanku somuch
Yeap, I got it now. ;)
ULTIMATE ..
sir you are amazing.mind blowing explaining.fully satisfy.
thank you very muchhhhhhhhh
Wanted to know if there is a difference between how you treat the two-
1) used car bought from cousin
or
2) used car bought from cousin who deals in cars.
its better if mrunal publish his own books and delivers it to universities so that we could understand in first time as we read it
juzz awesome
Very clearly presented.I am new to this subject tried very hard to read from Standard text books,after reading this if i refer those books it will be clearly understood.. Thanks a lot
wow excellent mrunal sir,, now i am out of confusing cyclone of gdp and gnp thanks a lot…
Hi mrunal, i am a new visitor to ur blog. i see after responding to some queries, u don’t seem to respond. i see few interesting quesns, left unanswered. it would be commendable if u respond to those. hope others quesn will also gets cleared. Thanks in advance.
and may i know when ll u continue the topic? impatiently waiting. if u have already posted the continuation, pleads apology as i can’t find it. Thanks.
Finally got these GDP and GNP.
mrunal u r blog is uber useful n i really like the economy part ….. the way u explain things is remarkable . u make life easier when it comes to understanding economy…
You said that
GNP = GDP + incoming money from abroad – Outgoing money to abroad.
But then again you said GDP(Expenditure)=C+I+G+(X-M)
where x and M are incoming money from abroad and Outgoing money to abroad, which is contradicting the statement that GDP and GNP are different except for imports and exports.
Praveen,
It gets simpler, if you see GDP and GNP in their own contexts.
1- GDP is estimated value of the total worth of a country’s production and services, “on its land”, by “its nationals and foreigners”, calculated over the course of one year.
However, GNP is estimated value of the total worth of production and services, “by citizens of a country”, on “its land or on foreign land”, calculated over the course on one year
2- Simply saying ‘Anil Kapoor going abroad working for MI-4’ will not be counted in our GDP instead, it will be counted in GNP . However, ‘Gary Kirsten gets 50 lakh rupees from BCCI’ will be counted in our GDP and not in GNP.
Now, a country’s GDP is a good parameter for analysing the country’s economy locally but for global analysis and standing of a country you would require GNP value instead.
Hope, i helped.
Thanks for very nice explanation….. little doubts of mine also removed
Thanks for very nice explanation….. little doubts of mine also clarified
so nice
sir will u analyze the upsc changed syllabus, especially on world history.& also will u provide some notes(in ur humorous ad lucid way),on Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.eagerly waiting
For the forthcoming RBI GRADE B exam— For Economy and Current affairs How many months Backdated information should i be covering from a exam perspective for August 2013 Exam
This is the best website to understand everything about the Indian economy.
sir doubt…!! which method is currently used by our country..?
and which method is more easy to calculate..?
nice one sir ji
hey thanks a lot u have explain it in such a way by including instances a lay man will be get it clearly……be continue