Poverty in India.
India has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty, but millions of people still face economic insecurity and deprivation. Understanding poverty today means looking beyond income to education, health, employment, housing, basic services and people’s ability to access opportunity.
Poverty in India is changing.
India has experienced one of the world’s most significant reductions in poverty over the past decade. Economic growth, improvements in basic services, social protection and greater access to infrastructure have all contributed.
Yet national progress does not mean that every household experiences the same opportunities. Poverty remains deeper in some regions, communities and household circumstances than others.
Modern poverty analysis therefore examines both monetary poverty and multidimensional deprivation, recognising that income alone cannot fully describe whether people can live healthy, educated and secure lives.
Sustainable poverty reduction requires stronger capabilities, better jobs, accessible services and systems that protect families from shocks.
Poverty has fallen substantially.
The World Bank’s latest India Poverty and Equity assessment compares household consumption data from 2011–12 and 2022–23.
There is no single poverty number.
Different poverty thresholds answer different questions. The international extreme-poverty line identifies very severe monetary deprivation, while the higher lower-middle- income line captures a broader population with limited economic resources.
India’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index looks beyond money altogether and examines simultaneous disadvantages in health, education and living standards.
Poverty is more than income.
India’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index measures deprivation across health, education and standard of living using twelve indicators.
National progress can coexist with household vulnerability.
Poverty has fallen in both, but the gap remains.
World Bank estimates using the $4.20 lower-middle-income poverty line show major reductions in both rural and urban India between 2011–12 and 2022–23.
Rural poverty nevertheless remains considerably higher than urban poverty, reinforcing the importance of place, infrastructure, employment structures and access to services.
Moving out of poverty is one challenge. Staying out is another.
Sustainable poverty reduction requires both economic opportunity and strong foundations that help people develop capabilities and withstand setbacks.
We focus on the conditions that shape opportunity.
YUVA does not treat poverty as a single problem with a single solution.
Our work connects four areas that influence whether children and young people can build healthier, more capable and economically secure lives.
Use current data, not old poverty myths.
Go deeper into poverty and YUVA’s work in India.
Poverty reduction becomes stronger when people can participate in their own future.
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