Photo: Kumaravels derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי · CC BY 2.5 in · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
India: Poverty & Inequality
How is a country’s income shared, and how many live below a line?
India is placed joint 44th of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 23 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 0.34 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
joint44th
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place India on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · India’s is from 2023 · CC BY 4.0
23
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
India: 23. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in Southern Asia
- 23 India
- Land neighbours
- Bangladesh 30.93 · Bhutan 28.45 · China 36.05 · Myanmar 30.7 · Nepal 30.02 · Pakistan 29.59
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · India’s is from 2023 · CC BY 4.0
0.34
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
India: 0.34. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in Southern Asia
- 0 Maldives
- Land neighbours
- Bangladesh 0.97 · Bhutan 0.001 · China 0 · Myanmar 1.79 · Nepal 0.31 · Pakistan 2.69
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
35.5
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
India: 35.5. Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
- Best in Southern Asia
- 3.7 Bhutan
- Land neighbours
- Bangladesh 38.6 · Bhutan 3.7 · China 11.3 · Nepal 17.9 · Pakistan 63
02Over time
Which way India is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Gini Index
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) · lower is better
IndiaWorld median
India fell from 27.68 in 2004 to 23 in 2023; the world median went from 34.29 to 33.72.
Every year’s figures
Year India World median 2023 23.0 33.72 2022 25.5 33.91 2021 — 34.04 2020 — 34.18 2019 — 33.51 2018 — 35.25 2017 — 34.86 2016 — 34.47 2015 — 35.52 2014 — 34.79 2013 — 36.16 2012 — 35.40 2011 28.8 33.96 2010 — 33.71 2009 27.8 34.91 2008 — 34.60 2007 — 34.26 2006 — 35.63 2005 — 36.28 2004 27.7 34.29 2003 — 35.46 2002 — 37.14 Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) · lower is better
IndiaWorld median
India fell from 10.95 in 2004 to 0.34 in 2023; the world median went from 0.79 to 0.345.
Every year’s figures
Year India World median 2023 0 0.345 2022 1 0.420 2021 — 0.335 2020 — 0.280 2019 — 0.380 2018 — 0.460 2017 — 0.300 2016 — 0.440 2015 — 0.500 2014 — 0.635 2013 — 0.515 2012 — 0.640 2011 5 0.430 2010 — 0.530 2009 7 0.600 2008 — 0.350 2007 — 0.360 2006 — 0.465 2005 — 1.250 2004 11 0.790 2003 — 1.650 2002 — 3.010 Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) · lower is better
IndiaWorld median
India fell from 59.8 in 2017 to 35.5 in 2025; the world median went from 32.4 to 26.4.
Every year’s figures
Year India World median 2025 36 26.40 2024 41 27.10 2023 43 27.15 2022 48 27.90 2021 52 29.65 2020 56 31.80 2019 53 29.05 2018 55 29.85 2017 60 32.40
03In context
India beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
India and the countries it borders
Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bhutan | 10th | 28.45 | 0.001 | 3.7 |
 Chinacompare | 39th | 36.05 | 0 | 11.3 |
| India | =44th | 23 | 0.34 | 35.5 |
 Nepalcompare | 46th | 30.02 | 0.31 | 17.9 |
 Myanmar | 66th | 30.7 | 1.79 | — |
 Bangladeshcompare | 73rd | 30.93 | 0.97 | 38.6 |
 Pakistancompare | 93rd | 29.59 | 2.69 | 63 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Southern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below India in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where India is ahead of the world, and behind
28 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median6
Statistics on which India does better than the middle country measured.
Income Share Held by Lowest 20%World Bank Group · 2023 · world median 7.1211.077.12No real change since 2022
India: 11.07 · world median 7.12 · Share of national income held by the poorest fifth (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 3.24 to 11.07; higher is better.
Position 1st of 60 · derived.
Income Share Held by Richest 10%World Bank Group · 2023 · world median 26.1820.5226.18▲ Improved since 2022
India: 20.52 · world median 26.18 · Share of national income or consumption held by the richest tenth (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 18.79 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 59th of 60 · derived, 1st = worst.
Palma RatioWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 1.3320.7931.332▲ Improved since 2022
India: 0.793 · world median 1.332 · Palma ratio (income share of the richest 10% ÷ share of the poorest 40%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.771 to 4.193; lower is better.
Position 59th of 60 · derived, 1st = worst.
Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 0.1850.080.185▲ Improved since 2022
India: 0.08 · world median 0.185 · Squared poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (0–100). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 9.74; lower is better.
Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary CompletionUIS · 2024 · world median 0.5290.720.529No earlier reading
India: 0.72 · world median 0.529 · Adjusted wealth parity index, lower secondary completion (poorest vs richest fifth; 1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.032 to 1.022; higher is better.
Working Poverty RateILO · 2025 · world median 4.8853.5624.885▲ Improved since 2015
India: 3.562 · world median 4.885 · Employed people living in extreme poverty (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.007 to 86.02; lower is better.
Behind the world median19
Statistics on which India does worse than the middle country measured.
Societal Poverty RateWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 17.217.3517.2▲ Improved since 2022
India: 17.35 · world median 17.2 · Population below the societal poverty line, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 7 to 54.36; lower is better.
Position 30th of 60 · derived, 1st = worst.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.12.292.1▲ Improved since 2014
India: 2.29 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2023 · world median 0.4130.430.413▼ Worsened since 2013
India: 0.43 · world median 0.413 · Exclusion by socio-economic group index (0–1; higher = more exclusion). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.014 to 0.969; lower is better.
Position 82nd of 174 · derived, 1st = worst.
Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 2025 · world median 0.0390.0690.039▼ Worsened since 2018
India: 0.069 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.
Position 51st of 109 · derived, 1st = worst.
Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric ConsumptionFAO · 2024 · world median 0.250.260.25▼ Worsened since 2014
India: 0.26 · world median 0.25 · Coefficient of variation of habitual calorie consumption across the population (standard deviation ÷ mean). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.17 to 0.4; lower is better.
Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 4.25217.744.252No earlier reading
India: 17.74 · world median 4.252 · Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.96; lower is better.
Position 51st of 157 · derived, 1st = worst.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.4750.609No real change since 2013
India: 0.475 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 120th of 169 · derived.
Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 0.932.570.93▲ Improved since 2022
India: 2.57 · world median 0.93 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 54.36; lower is better.
Position 18th of 58 · derived, 1st = worst.
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2021 · world median 12,8005,74512,800▲ Improved since 2017
India: 5,745 · world median 12,800 · Actual individual consumption per capita (PPP, current international $). World Bank Group, 2021 edition, data for 2021.
Published values in that edition run from 688.7 to 52,654; higher is better.
Position 126th of 173 · derived.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0529.917.05▲ Improved since 2013
India: 29.9 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 43rd of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
Low Pay RateILO · 2024 · world median 17.8926.1617.89▲ Improved since 2018
India: 26.16 · world median 17.89 · Employees paid less than two-thirds of the median hourly earnings (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 3.395 to 41.69; lower is better.
Position 16th of 71 · derived, 1st = worst.
Gini Index of Monthly EarningsILO · 2024 · world median 0.3370.4290.337▲ Improved since 2018
India: 0.429 · world median 0.337 · Gini index of employees’ monthly earnings (0 = all paid the same, 1 = maximum inequality). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.182 to 0.643; lower is better.
Position 15th of 75 · derived, 1st = worst.
Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour BenefitsWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 18.657.29718.65No earlier reading
India: 7.297 · world median 18.65 · Benefits received as a share of beneficiaries' total income or consumption (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.455 to 90.86; higher is better.
Intergenerational Persistence in EducationWorld Bank Group · 2017 · world median 0.4460.5550.446No earlier reading
India: 0.555 · world median 0.446 · Correlation between own and parents' years of schooling, born 1980–89 (0–1). World Bank Group, 2017 edition, data for 2017.
Published values in that edition run from 0.123 to 0.66; lower is better.
Position 22nd of 153 · derived, 1st = worst.
Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 1.3416.121.34▲ Improved since 2022
India: 16.12 · world median 1.34 · Population below $4.20 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 72.3; lower is better.
Position 9th of 59 · derived, 1st = worst.
Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 21.2640.2521.26No earlier reading
India: 40.25 · world median 21.26 · Children aged 6-23 months fed from at most 2 of 8 food groups (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.169 to 63.08; lower is better.
Position 12th of 113 · derived, 1st = worst.
Prosperity GapWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 1.7544.9471.754▼ Worsened since 2022
India: 4.947 · world median 1.754 · Average factor incomes must rise by to reach $28 a day. World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.406 to 12.06; lower is better.
Position 5th of 60 · derived, 1st = worst.
Median Daily Income or Consumption per PersonWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 22.765.93922.76▼ Worsened since 2022
India: 5.939 · world median 22.76 · Median income or consumption per person, 2021 PPP dollars a day. World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2.803 to 89.49; higher is better.
Position 58th of 60 · derived.
Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a DayWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 7.8279.987.82▼ Worsened since 2022
India: 79.98 · world median 7.82 · Population below $8.30 a day, 2021 PPP (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.07 to 93.58; lower is better.
Position 3rd of 59 · derived, 1st = worst.
No better end3
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingWorld Bank Group · 2019 · world median 6.8817.916.88No earlier reading
India: 17.91 · world median 6.88 · Population in households spending more than 10% of their budget on health out of pocket (%). World Bank Group, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.133 to 31.21.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.821.921.8No earlier reading
India: 21.9 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
Cost of a Healthy DietFAO · 2025 · world median 4.554.114.55No real change since 2017
India: 4.11 · world median 4.55 · Cost of the cheapest locally available healthy diet, PPP dollars per person per day. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.66 to 8.27.
No current reading for India
Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) (last 2022), Income Growth of the Poorest 40% (last 2016) and Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among India’s 15 topics
Poverty & Inequality is India’s 4th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Digital & Technology5th of 1984/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade15th of 1774/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge44th of 1983/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequalityjoint 44th of 1593/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions73rd of 1944/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability85th of 1864/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation86th of 1764/4 keys
- Work & Labourjoint 99th of 1824/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital114th of 1963/3 keys
- Democracy & Civil Libertiesjoint 119th of 1984/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture111th of 1842/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing150th of 2003/4 keys
- Peace & Securityjoint 140th of 1774/4 keys
- Gender & Equality154th of 1834/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience182nd of 1934/4 keys
No standing on Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders India can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
United Arab Emirates=3rd3/3 keysHighest in Southern Asia
Bhutan10th3/3 keysThis page
India=44th3/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about India and poverty & inequality
08Questions
India on poverty & inequality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does India rank on poverty & inequality?
India is placed joint 44th of 159 countries on Poverty & Inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics (Gini Index, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day and Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Gini Index figure for India?
23 in 2023 (gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 33.72.
What is the latest Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day figure for India?
0.34 in 2023 (poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.345.
How does India compare with China on poverty & inequality?
China is placed 39th of 159, and India joint 44th. Gini Index: China 36.05, India 23; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day: China 0, India 0.34; Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet: China 11.3, India 35.5.
How have India’s poverty & inequality figures changed?
Gini Index fell from 27.68 in 2004 to 23 in 2023; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day fell from 10.95 in 2004 to 0.34 in 2023; Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet fell from 59.8 in 2017 to 35.5 in 2025.
Which poverty & inequality statistics are missing for India?
No current reading is published for India on Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID), Income Growth of the Poorest 40% and Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
These figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than every year. So the subject's standing is read from each country's most recent survey of the last decade, with the year of every reading shown, rather than from one year in which only a minority of countries were surveyed. Two readings decide it — how unequally income is shared and how deep extreme poverty runs — because the other poverty and inequality measures here largely repeat one of those two or repeat average income, which already counts under Economy and Development. Countries with no survey in the last decade have no standing here. What work pays is under Work & Labour; wealth, as opposed to income, has no global source this site is permitted to republish.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 28 statistics on this page come from 8 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
India’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- India (banner) — Kumaravels derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי, CC BY 2.5 in
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). India: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/india/poverty