As of 2025, poverty in India declined sharply. According to the World Bank report, extreme poverty fall from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% in 2022-23. In rural areas it fell from 18.4% to 2.8%, and in urban areas, from 10.7% to 1.1%. 378 million people were lifted from poverty and 171 million from extreme poverty.
India has overtaken Japan as the world's fourth-largest economy – and officials hope to pass Germany within three years, the government's end-of-year economic review calculates. Official confirmation, however, depends on data due in 2026 when final annual GDP figures are released.
What is the situation of India? It is the fifth economy of the world on the scale of GDP. On the scale of GDP per capita, India ranks 144th in the list of 194 countries of the world. Among Asian countries, India ranks 33rd in this list.
The World Bank's latest global poverty update, released in June 2025, confirms the headline: extreme poverty in India has dropped sharply. The share of people living on less than $3 a day, adjusted for local prices (what economists call “purchasing power parity” or PPP), fell from 27% in 2011 to just 5.3% in 2022.
In 2024, an average citizen in China is, on a nominal basis, nearly five times richer than their Indian counterpart. China's GDP per capita hovers around USD 13,000, while India's GDP per capita is a more modest USD 2,700.
Is India a good place to live? You'll get very different responses to this depending on who you ask. Unfortunately, most expats find the work-life balance can be poor even though the cost of living is low and pay can be very high. Pollution and safety also concern many expats in India.
In a comparison of India vs Japan, things are a lot closer, with Japan having a lot stronger defense network than India but India far ahead in terms of military capability, resilience, and availability and usefulness of future resources.
But in general, if the question is, is Japan costlier than India? The answer is yes- but not in every way. While food, transport, and accommodation cost more than in India, they're usually better value for money.
Japan's headline numbers impress. With a population of 124 million, the country produces an annual GDP of around $4.2 trillion, trailing only the United States, China, and Germany.
In 2024, Pakistan ranked 164 out of 194 countries. However, the ranking under the inequality adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) was 138th. As of 2025, approximately 45% of Pakistan's population was living below the poverty line. The information was based on revised poverty thresholds and survey data from 2018–19.
The pyramid shows that: half of the world's net wealth belongs to the top 1%, top 10% of adults hold 85%, while the bottom 90% hold the remaining 15% of the world's total wealth, top 30% of adults hold 97% of the total wealth.
But that's all in the past. The US is richer now. Way richer. The quantum of wealth owned by the two countries are as different as chalk and cheese – the US per capita GDP is a whopping 31 times higher than India's.
Currently, China's economy is estimated to be five times larger than India's. China also continues to have higher economic growth rates each year as well as a higher overall GDP and income per person.
About 77 per cent of Indians displayed at least one symptom of stress, and one in every third Indian was struggling with stress and anxiety. But younger Indians, particularly from the Gen Z cohort, were more likely to be affected by stress, anxiety, and chronic illnesses, said the study.
A good salary in India depends on the city. It ranges from INR 50,000 to 80,000/month in metros, INR 35,000 to 50,000 in Tier-2 cities, and INR 25,000 to 35,000 in smaller towns. Is INR 70,000 per month a good salary in India? Yes, INR 70,000/month is considered good, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
But have you ever thought about who tops the list of richest people in Asia? Well, there is no surprise that Mukesh Ambani is #1 among Asian billionaires. Continue reading to take a look at the top 10 wealthiest and powerful Asians in 2026.
Here's the clearest breakdown of why India cannot replicate China's 10% growth era 👇 1️⃣ China had an investment super-boom (40–45% of GDP): China invested nearly half its GDP into highways, ports, power plants, and factories. India today invests around 30–31%.
