Number of people living in extreme poverty in India
India: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 1.41 billion people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in extreme poverty in India, 1977–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in extreme poverty in India is 1.41 billion people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 52.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in India peaked at 1.41 billion people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 261.40 million people, in 1977.
That places India 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in India, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 261.40 million people | — |
| 1983 | 362.31 million people | +38.6% |
| 1987 | 394.48 million people | +8.9% |
| 1993 | 489.27 million people | +24.0% |
| 2004 | 613.62 million people | +25.4% |
| 2009 | 807.67 million people | +31.6% |
| 2011 | 925.48 million people | +14.6% |
| 2022 | 1.36 billion people | +46.7% |
| 2023 | 1.41 billion people | +3.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 1.41 billion people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.39 million people, 97.9× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- India's 1.41 billion people is above the median for South Asia, which is 28.98 million people, 48.6× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 261.40 million people | 261.40 million people | 261.40 million people | 1 |
| 1980s | 378.39 million people | 362.31 million people | 394.48 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 489.27 million people | 489.27 million people | 489.27 million people | 1 |
| 2000s | 710.64 million people | 613.62 million people | 807.67 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 925.48 million people | 925.48 million people | 925.48 million people | 1 |
| 2020s | 1.38 billion people | 1.36 billion people | 1.41 billion people | 2 |
Countries ranked near India
More poverty & inequality data for India
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.98 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,632 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.8468 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 17.32 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 17.3% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in India?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in India was 1.41 billion people in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 1.41 billion people in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 261.40 million people in 1977.
- How does India rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- India ranks 2nd out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.