The World Bank’s 2025 report shows India with one of the world’s lowest consumption inequality levels, but income and wealth data reveal a much wider gap. This article explores why consumption surveys like HCES understate inequality, how India’s poverty has declined, and why income and wealth metrics expose deep divides. It highlights the need for policies on wages, education, and social protection to reduce long-term inequality.

​​ In 2023, Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, called for globalisation to be “human-centric.”   This is rooted in Indian...