Why India’s ‘low inequality’ claim doesn’t match reality

India’s low Gini index and reduced poverty rates, as cited by the World Bank and PIB, suggest progress. But with growing wealth concentration, widespread informal labour, and digital exclusion, India’s true inequality story is far more complex than the numbers show

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) recently cited World Bank data that placed India fourth globally in terms of income equality. With a remarkably low Gini score—a measure of statistical dispersion intended to represent income or wealth inequality within a group—of 25.5, this figure positions the country ahead of major economies like the United States, China, and several developed European nations.