India ranks as the world’s 4th most equal society, says World Bank report

India, already celebrated as the world’s fourth-largest economy, has achieved another remarkable milestone—becoming one of the world’s most equal societies. According to the World Bank, India’s Gini Index stands at 25.5, placing it as the fourth most equal country globally, behind only the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Belarus. This performance not only surpasses regional peers like China, which holds a Gini score of 35.7, but also positions India ahead of every G7 and G20 nation in terms of income equality.

This development is a significant feat for a country of India’s size and complexity, underlining the country’s progress in ensuring its economic growth benefits a broad cross-section of its population. The Gini Index, which ranges from 0 (perfect equality) to 100 (extreme inequality), offers a clear snapshot of how evenly income is distributed within a country. India’s current standing marks a steady improvement from a Gini score of 28.8 in 2011 to 25.5 in 2022, signalling meaningful gains in bridging income gaps over the past decade.

A key driver behind this success has been India’s sustained focus on reducing poverty. The World Bank’s Spring 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief revealed that 171 million Indians were lifted out of extreme poverty between 2011 and 2023. The share of the population living on less than $2.15 per day—a standard measure for extreme poverty—has plunged from 16.2% in 2011-12 to just 2.3% in 2022-23. Under the World Bank’s revised extreme poverty line of $3.00 per day, the rate for 2022-23 stands at a modest 5.3%.