India Lifts 269 Million Out of Extreme Poverty in 11 Years: World Bank

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 7th June: In a remarkable socioeconomic achievement under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India has significantly reduced its extreme poverty rate over the past decade. According to the latest World Bank data, the extreme poverty rate fell from 27.1% in 2011-12 to just 5.3% in 2022-23 — translating to 269 million people rising above the extreme poverty line.

The total number of people living in extreme poverty dropped from 344.47 million in 2011-12 to 75.24 million in 2022-23, based on the international poverty line of $3.00 per day (2021 prices). The improvement has been seen across both rural and urban regions, with rural extreme poverty falling from 18.4% to 2.8% and urban poverty from 10.7% to 1.1%.

States like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh — which accounted for 65% of the country’s extreme poor in 2011 — contributed to two-thirds of this overall decline.

At the lower international poverty line of $2.15/day (2017 prices), extreme poverty in India stands at just 2.3% in 2022, compared to 16.2% in 2011. The number of people below this line dropped to 33.66 million from 205.93 million.

India has also made major strides in tackling multidimensional poverty. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) fell from 53.8% in 2005-06 to 16.4% in 2019-21, and further to 15.5% in 2022-23.

The Centre credits schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana, and Ayushman Bharat for transforming lives through access to housing, clean fuel, financial services, and healthcare. Additionally, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), digital inclusion, and rural infrastructure development have strengthened last-mile delivery and ensured transparency.

As the BJP-led NDA government marks 11 years at the Centre, Prime Minister Modi has reiterated his commitment to empowerment, inclusion, and infrastructure-driven development as the foundation of poverty eradication in India.