4 Charts that Explain the World Bank’s New Data on India’s Poverty
The World Bank said 496 million people escaped poverty as rising employment, especially among women, helped drive gains across monetary and multidimensional measures.
- According to the World Bank's Poverty and Equity Brief, India lifted an estimated 496 million people out of poverty between 2011 and 2023. The organization described the progress as "one of the fastest poverty declines in the world."
- Strong consumption growth, expanded social transfers, and rising Employment drove these gains, with 134 million more people employed between 2017 and 2023. Much of this growth came from rural women entering paid work, increasing household earnings.
- The proportion of people living below the USD 4.20 daily Poverty line fell from 57.7 per cent to 16.1 per cent during the period. This metric underscores the scale of monetary poverty reduction.
- Despite broad improvements, Youth unemployment rose from 14.6 per cent to 15.9 per cent between the first quarters of FY26 and FY27, particularly among rural young women. Around 57 per cent of the poor population remains concentrated in a belt from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal.
- Projections from The World Bank indicate the Poverty rate at the USD 4.20 threshold could fall from 14.2 per cent in 2026 to 12.1 per cent by 2028. However, The World Bank cautioned that these estimates depend on evolving macroeconomic data.
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25 Articles
India Lifts 49.6 Crore People Out Of Poverty In 12 Years: World Bank
India lifted an estimated 496 million people out of poverty between 2011 and 2023, with the share of the population living in extreme poverty falling from 27.1 per cent to 2.6 per cent, according to the World Bank's October 2026 Poverty and Equity Brief.The report said poverty also declined significantly when measured against the lower-middle-income poverty line of USD 4.20 a day at 2021 purchas
India's extreme poverty drops from 27.1% to 2.6%, one of the fastest in the world: World Bank
The report hailed India's improvements across both monetary and non-monetary measures of poverty, terming "it is one of the fastest poverty declines in the world." As per the report, the proportion of people leaving below the lower-middle-income poverty line fell from 57.7 per cent to 16.1 per cent.
India Reduces Extreme Poverty: India has achieved significant progress in reducing poverty. According to the latest World Bank report, the country's extreme poverty rate declined from 27.1 percent in 2011 to 2.6 percent in 2023. At the same time, approximately 496 million people have been lifted out of poverty, based on a daily income of $4.20. Increased employment, women's participation, and government schemes played a key role in this change.
Extreme poverty in India falls to 2.6%, but top 10% earn 13 times more than bottom 10%
The World Bank reported a sharp fall in Indian poverty alongside a 13-fold wage gap. The findings underscore persistent earnings disparities, weak job quality and higher rural poverty.
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