Estimating the value of 1 Indian Rupee from 1925 to 2025 (a span of 100 years) is difficult due to the lack of a continuous, official, and easily accessible Consumer Price Index (CPI) dataset for India covering that entire period, especially pre-independence.
However, based on general historical inflation trends and data available for parts of that period, $1$ Rupee from $1925$ would have the purchasing power equivalent to a very significant amount in 2025
To put it in perspective, other historical data suggests:
- A Rupee in the early to mid-20th century had far greater purchasing power. For example, the value of $100$ Rupees in 1958 (post-independence) is estimated to be over $\text{Rs. }10,000$ in a recent year (like 1$2024$).2 The inflation over the $33$ years prior to $1958$ would further increase the equivalent 2025 value of a 1925 Rupee.
A rough estimate for 1 Rupee in 1925 might be in the range of Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000 or even higher in 2025 purchasing power, but this is a very broad approximation.
For a precise calculation, you would need:
- A continuous, reliable Consumer Price Index (CPI) dataset for India from 1925 to 2025.
- The formula
Since that precise, public data is hard to come by for such a long historical period, the best you can get is an approximation that illustrates the dramatic loss of purchasing power over the century.
The value of 1 Indian Rupee from 1930, adjusted for inflation to the year 2025, would be a very large amount due to the significant cumulative inflation over nearly a century.
While a precise, universally accepted figure for the entire 95-year period is difficult to state due to changes in currency systems, data collection methods, and the basket of goods used for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over time (especially pre-independence), we can use available historical data to make an estimate.
Using a proxy for inflation which connects to the 1930s, one source provides a Consumer Price Index (CPI) for a base year of 1935-36 = 100.
- CPI (Base 1935-36 = 100) in 1935-36 is 100.
- CPI (Base 1935-36 = 100) for 2025 is estimated to be around 40,933 (based on the June/July index value in the source).1
Although data for 1930 is not the base year, 1935-36 is a close starting point for a calculation of this magnitude.
Using the CPI to estimate purchasing power:
Therefore, based on this CPI data, the purchasing power of 1 Rupee in 1935-36 would be approximately equivalent to ₹409 in 2025.
If inflation was higher between 1930 and 1935-36 (which is less likely, as the Great Depression led to price declines in India between 1929-1937), the value for a 1930 Rupee would be even higher. This figure is an estimate based on the best available continuous historical index.
