India lifted 49.6 crore people out of poverty between 2011 and 2023, says World Bank report - Here is how it was done
The World Bank has said that over the past decade, India has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty across both monetary and non-monetary dimensions, recording one of the fastest poverty declines in the world. The World Bank's report, titled 'India Poverty and Equity Brief: October 2026' said that between 2011 and 2023 India lifted an estimated 49.6 crore people out of poverty. ($3.00/day) declined from 27.1 percent to 2.6 percent.
"Between 2011 and 2023, the share of the population living below the Lower Middle-Income Country line (USD 4.20/day, 2021 PPP) fell from 57.7 per cent to 16.1 per cent, lifting an estimated 496 million people out of poverty, while extreme poverty (USD 3/day) declined from 27.1 per cent to 2.6 per cent," the report said.
The report further said that poverty is projected to continue declining, albeit more gradually, with the poverty rate at the USD 4.20/day line expected to fall from 14.2 per cent in 2026 to 12.1 per cent by 2028.
The World Bank credited a slew of factors, including strong consumption growth, rising employment, especially among women, and expanded social transfers, including food subsidies, for the change.
“As poverty declined, it became increasingly concentrated among households with lower education, fewer assets, limited access to stable employment, and higher dependency ratios,” it said, while noting that “Wage disparities, however, remain pronounced, as median earnings among the top 10 percent of workers were about 13 times those of the bottom 10 percent in 2023.”
The period between 2017 and 2023 also saw employment increase by about 134 million people, nearly twice the growth of the working-age population, with much of the gain driven by rural women entering paid work and raising the number of earners per household.
According to the World Bank, Indian households in both rural and urban areas benefited from these changes and experienced substantial welfare gains, with faster progress in rural India significantly narrowing the rural-urban gap.
The report said that poverty in India has become increasingly concentrated geographically.
“While living standards improved across most states, households in a contiguous belt stretching from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal account for about 57 percent of India’s poor population,” it said, adding that “As a result, further reductions in national poverty will increasingly depend on enabling productive employment in these states.”
Commenting on the World Bank report, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it identifies strong consumption growth, rising employment, especially among women, and expanded social transfers, including food subsidies, as major drivers.
"This is the reason why the NDA govt wins people's trust and the mandate of our citizens. We remain committed to building on this progress through productive employment, stronger household incomes and effective delivery of public services, so that aspirations of our people are met," Sitharaman said in a post on X.
Bobins loves telling the human side of all stories, from the intersection of geopolitics, international relations, and conflicts around the world. In his nearly one-and-a-half-decade career as a journalist, Bobins has covered South Asia, the Middle East, and North America, from elections to mass protests and conflicts. <br> Bobins has also done extensive reporting on environmental issues, climate change, and sustainability, focusing on solutions and people working to make the planet a better place to live. <br> In 2018, Bobins was awarded by Times Internet for the impact of his story on Delhi tree cuttings. Bobins also loves telling the stories of Indian startups and the journey of their founders. <br> Total Years of Experience: 14 <br> Years of experience at LM: Bobins has been a part of Live Mint since February 2026 <br> Interests: When he is not tracking conflicts, Bobins loves to cook, travel across India, click photos, and watch documentaries on history. Past Experience: Before joining Live Mint, Bobins worked with The Indian Express, where he led the Global Breaking News coverage, Indiatimes, where he led the news team, covering everything trending, ANI, where the focus of his coverage was South Asia, and NBS News. <br> Current Role: Bobins is currently working as an Assistant Editor at Live Mint.
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