World Bank’s Poverty & Equity Brief Report
Why in News?
- World Banks Poverty Equity Brief Report, The World Bank has released its Spring 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief for India, highlighting significant strides the country has made in reducing extreme poverty over the past decade.
Important Key Points:
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Significant Reduction in Extreme Poverty:
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India has lifted approximately 171 million people out of extreme poverty between 2011-12 and 2022-23.
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The proportion of the population living on less than $2.15 per day decreased from 16.2% to 2.3% during this period.
. Rural and Urban Poverty Decline:
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In rural areas, extreme poverty fell from 18.4% to 2.8%.
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In urban areas, it reduced from 10.7% to 1.1%, narrowing the rural-urban poverty gap from 7.7 to 1.7 percentage points.
. Transition to Lower-Middle-Income Category:
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Using the $3.65 per day lower-middle-income poverty line, poverty declined from 61.8% to 28.1%, lifting 378 million people out of poverty.
. State-Level Contributions:
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Five states—Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh—accounted for two-thirds of the overall decline in extreme poverty.
. Employment Trends:
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The report notes positive trends in employment growth, particularly since 2021-22, contributing to poverty reduction.
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