Disaggregated data
Also called: Tribe-disaggregated data · Topic: Economic Data: Census, NSS, Surveys and Statistical Tools · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Disaggregated data are data broken down into smaller groups, such as tribe, gender, caste, region, or rural and urban areas. A single national average can hide big gaps between groups. Breaking the figure down shows who is falling behind, so policy can be aimed at them. This is called targeting. The finer the breakdown, the smaller each group gets, and that brings a risk. A figure for a very small group can point to that community, or even to particular people. It can then lead to stigma (shame or blame attached to a group) or misuse.
Example
The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) of 2023-24 gives monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE), the average spending per person in a month, separately for villages and towns. It was Rs 4,122 in rural areas and Rs 6,996 in urban areas. A single all-India figure would hide this gap of about 70%. The Jan-HIT Portal of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and ICMR is another example. It is India's first platform for tribe-disaggregated health data and covered 20 States in 2026. With it, health policy can target specific tribes, such as the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), instead of treating all tribal people as one group.
Don't confuse with
- Aggregate data: one combined figure for the whole population, such as national per capita income. It is easy to quote, but it hides how the total is spread across groups.
- Unit-level data: records for each household or person, such as NSS unit-level data. Disaggregated data are grouped figures shown group by group, not individual records.