Based on the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2023, Bihar has the highest rate of multidimensional poverty in India, with 33.76% of its population identified as poor. Other states with high poverty rates include Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Bihar also has the lowest per capita income, further highlighting it as one of the poorest states.
They help policymakers and researchers identify which regions require stronger government support and targeted interventions. For instance, states like Bihar and Jharkhand have historically recorded higher poverty ratios compared to states like Kerala or Goa, where the quality of life and income levels are much better.
South Sudan has the highest poverty rate, with approximately 82.3% of its population living in extreme poverty, largely due to ongoing civil conflict and economic collapse.
More than 50% of the population was multidimensionally poor in a total of 6 districts including Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, West Khasi Hills, and West Jaintia Hills from Meghalaya, and Araria, Purnia and Supaul of Bihar.
List Of the US States With the Highest Poverty Rates Mississippi (19.58%) West Virginia (17.10%) Arkansas (16.08%) New Mexico (18.55%) Louisiana (18.65%) Kentucky (16.61%) Alabama (15.98%) Oklahoma (15.27%) South Carolina (14.68%) Tennessee (14.62%) North Carolina (13.98%) Georgia (14.28%)
What’s the best way to lift people out of poverty?
Which is India's poorest district?
The Niti Ayog has noted Alirajpur district on the south-western fringe of Madhya Pradesh as the poorest and the most deprived district in whole of the country. It has close to 90 percent tribal population mainly comprising the Bhil communiy. It also has an extremely low literacy rate at 37 percent.
Some of the world largest slums exist in India like Dharavi Slum of Mumbai, Bhalswa Slum of Delhi, Nochikuppam slum (Chennai), Rajendra Nagar Slum (Bangalore) and Basanti Slum (Kolkata).
The economy of India is a developing mixed economy with a notable public sector in strategic sectors. It is the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP); on a per capita income basis, India ranked 136th by nominal GDP and 119th by PPP-adjusted GDP.
The five countries with the most people in poverty are India (234 million), Pakistan (93 million), Ethiopia (86 million), Nigeria (74 million), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (66 million).
The designation of the poorest city in India can change over time due to various economic and social factors. However, some of the cities that have faced significant poverty challenges in the past include Muzaffarpur in Bihar, and Dharavi in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The poverty rate then fell rapidly in China, equalling India's rate by the mid-1990s. Now the poverty rate is far higher in India. By 2008, about one-fifth of India's population still lived below $1 a day, while in China it was down to just 7%. What can explain this difference?
However, India is unique in one aspect. In other countries like the UK and the US, the economically more robust regions are also more populous. These regions subsidize the poorer, less populous parts of the country. In India, the poorer North is far more populous than the richer South, and this asymmetry is growing.
Dharavi has suffered from many epidemics and other disasters, including a widespread plague in 1896 which killed over half of the population of Bombay. Sanitation in the slums remains poor.
Today, hundreds of thousands of slum dwellers in India have community toilets and washing facilities, designed and managed by slum dweller organisations. They very often built them too. The capital costs were mostly funded by local government, with community contributions covering operation and maintenance.
Moreover, India's first National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Report published by NITI Aayog in November 2021 lauded Kottayam as the only zero poverty district in India.
The richest district in India is Rangareddy in Telangana, with a GDP per capita of ₹11.46 lakh (2025). Rangareddy leads because of its massive IT hubs and global companies in HITEC City and Gachibowli, rapid infrastructure growth, and a highly skilled workforce that drives strong economic productivity.
The following 44 countries were still listed as least developed countries by the UN as of December 2024: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, ...
