Last Updated on October 30, 2026 11:22 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Andalib Akhter / New Delhi
India has recorded a significant decline in poverty over the past decade, with 49.6 crore people moving above the World Bank’s lower-middle-income poverty threshold of $4.20 a day between 2011 and 2023, according to the World Bank’s October 2026 Poverty and Equity Brief.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the findings on Friday, saying the report recognised India’s progress among the fastest poverty reductions globally.
According to the report, the proportion of India’s population living below the $4.20-a-day poverty line declined sharply from 57.7 per cent in 2011 to 16.1 per cent in 2023. Extreme poverty, measured against the $3-a-day threshold, also fell from 27.1 per cent to 2.6 per cent during the same period. Both poverty thresholds are based on 2021 purchasing power parity (PPP).
The report also highlighted improvements in employment, with the number of employed people increasing by 13.4 crore between 2017 and 2023, nearly twice the increase in the working-age population.
Rural women accounted for a substantial share of the employment gains, entering paid work and contributing to an increase in the number of income earners within households.
The World Bank also noted improvements in household welfare in both rural and urban India, with faster progress in rural areas helping narrow the rural-urban gap. Access to electricity reached 99 per cent of the population, based on survey data for 2022.
The report identified strong consumption growth, rising employment, particularly among women, and expanded social transfers, including food subsidies, as major factors behind the reduction in poverty.
Reacting to the findings, Sitharaman credited the government’s policy initiatives under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying sustained efforts were strengthening inclusive growth and economic opportunities. She said the government would continue to focus on productive employment, higher household incomes and effective delivery of public services.