Tamil Nadu’s per capita income has risen 37% in four years, reaching ₹1.96 lakh in 2024–25, surpassing the national average of ₹1.14 lakh. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin credited the growth to the Dravidian model, as Goa topped the national list while Bihar remained at the bottom.
Tamil Nadu’s per capita income has risen from ₹1.43 lakh in 2020–21 to ₹1.96 lakh in 2024–25, a growth of 37%, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Wednesday, crediting the surge to the state’s Dravidian model of governance.
Sharing a post by Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on social media platform X, Stalin wrote, “We have surpassed the national average! We have surpassed the growth of the last AIADMK regime by two times!” He added, “We will rise as the first state in the upcoming Dravidian Model 2.0!”
Thennarasu said Tamil Nadu had achieved the second-highest per capita income among Indian states, highlighting gains in industry, education, infrastructure, and welfare under Stalin’s leadership. “This reflects the success of the Dravidian model’s visionary plans, industrial development, efforts to attract investments, and public welfare schemes,” he said.
“This achievement is the next crown jewel for our Dravidian model government, which is working with the noble principle of ‘everything for everyone’,” he added. He also said that in 2020–21, Tamil Nadu’s per capita income was ₹1.43 lakh. Under the DMK, it increased to ₹1.96 lakh in 2024–25. The average annual growth rate over four years was 8.15%, compared to 4.42% from 2016–17 to 2020–21.
He said this showed that the Dravidian model of governance had performed effectively.
Thennarasu also cited national figures, saying the per capita income at the national level in 2024–25 was ₹1.14 lakh. From 2014–15 to 2024–25, the national average growth rate was 57%, while Tamil Nadu’s was 83.3% during the same period.
“This was possible because of the government of Chief Minister Stalin, which focused on economic progress, focusing on the welfare of the people,” Stalin said.
India’s economic growth shows wide variation across states, as per Finance Ministry data. Goa recorded the highest per capita income in 2023–24 at ₹3.57 lakh, followed by Sikkim (₹2.92 lakh), Delhi (₹2.71 lakh), Chandigarh (₹2.56 lakh), and Puducherry (₹1.45 lakh). Bihar had the lowest at ₹32,227. Uttar Pradesh (₹50,341) and Jharkhand (₹65,062) were also among the bottom.
Responding to a question by MPs Giridhari Yadav and Dinesh Chandra Yadav, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said the national per capita income at constant prices for 2024–25 is estimated at ₹1,14,710—up from ₹72,805 in 2014–15.
However, he noted that this rise is not uniform across states. States like Karnataka (₹1.91 lakh), Tamil Nadu (₹1.79 lakh), and Telangana (₹1.77 lakh) have shown strong growth, while several eastern states continue to lag behind.
Chaudhary attributed this disparity to differences in industrial base, economic development levels, structural challenges, and governance quality