“Your salary isn’t growing — and it’s not your imagination,” says finfluencer Akshat Shrivastava, founder of Wisdom Hatch, who recently shared a viral post highlighting how India’s middle class is being left behind in the country’s fast-changing wealth landscape.
Shrivastava pointed out that between 2020 and 2025, gold prices surged over 56 percent, while average salaries actually fell by 0.07 percent. Despite India’s economy expanding at nearly 7 percent annually, wage growth has stagnated, creating a widening gap between asset owners and salaried professionals.
He argues that India’s economy is becoming increasingly financialized, where wealth generation depends more on owning assets — such as gold, real estate, or stocks — rather than earning a monthly paycheck. Those who invested in appreciating assets have seen their wealth multiply, while those relying solely on fixed salaries are struggling to keep pace with inflation and lifestyle costs.
According to Shrivastava’s analysis, household wealth in gold and equities jumped from USD 1.8 trillion to USD 2.7 trillion in just three years, reflecting how asset-based growth is reshaping India’s economic structure. Real estate, too, has appreciated sharply, far outpacing the modest or negative growth seen in wage incomes.
He notes that professionals with equity stakes, ESOPs, or investments in high-growth sectors have gained far more than traditional salaried workers. This has resulted in a “new wealth divide” — one defined not by job title, but by asset ownership.
Shrivastava’s post has sparked widespread discussion about the shrinking real income of the middle class, calling attention to the need for better financial literacy, diversification, and investment planning. As he puts it, “The future belongs to those who make money work for them — not just those who work for money.”
