India's consumption growth is set to accelerate as Goldman predicts 'affluent' Indians to nearly double

Rising disposable incomes are set to power India's consumption story, further boosting the country's consumer sector that is fast becoming a key driver for economic growth.

India, which has relied heavily on business-to-business services and manufacturing to fuel growth, is on track to become a more consumption-focused economy, said Abhishek Malhotra, partner at McKinsey & Company's Mumbai office.

His comments came on the back of a Goldman Sachs report last week that predicted around 100 million people in India will become "affluent" — earn an annual income exceeding $10,000 — by 2027.

There is a great desire to spend on travel, jewelry, eating out, among other things, with discretionary spending in the country on the rise, Malhotra told CNBC in a Zoom interview. 

Currently, 60 million people in the world's fifth-largest economy earn more than $10,000 — around 4% of India's working age population — according to the report released last week. The number was just 24 million in 2015. 

"When you have a lower income, most of your money goes into food and housing … Now that those have been taken care of, there is leftover discretionary spending," Malhotra said, adding that consumer sectors such as travel, jewelry, and services will see significant growth in the next two decades. 

The country's consumer market is set to become the world's third-largest by 2027, as the number of middle- to high-income households rises. 

About 33% of India's 1.4 billion people are estimated to be aged between 20 and 33 years, according to data from BMI, which is driving global firms to set up and expand operations in the country. 

For instance, Tata Starbucks — a joint venture company between Tata Consumer Products and Starbucks Corporation — announced