Analyses › Inequality
Inequality
The bottom 50% income share fell to a low in 2017, rose until 2020 and has fallen since
On the World Inequality Lab series the bottom 50% received 18.8% of national income in 2004, 14.7% in 2014 and a low of 13.9% in 2017. The share rose to 15.5% in 2020, which its authors describe as a temporary marginal rise, and was 15.0% in 2022-23. Over the whole period the bottom half lost 3.8 points while the top 1% gained 4.2.
What follows. The bottom half of India held a smaller share of national income in 2022-23 than in 2004, and a slightly larger one than in 2014.
Income share of the bottom 50%
2004-2013 average 16.8%; 2014-2026 average 14.7%; latest 15.0% in 2022. Source, method and every year.
One of 37 readings of the dataset, rebuilt whenever the data are refreshed. Data vintage 2026-10-10. Cite as Raman, V.S., Some Perspective: India's Political Economy, 2004-2026, someperspective.info, CC BY 4.0.