10 Poorest states in India in 2024

Ground Report | New Delhi: Which are the 10 poorest states of India, all of us would like to know. So today we will tell you about the poor states of India. As you know there are some poor state in India, just like some of the Richest states. List Top 10 poorest states in India.

Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have emerged as the poorest states in India, according to NITI Aayog's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

The following is a ranking of states and union territories in India based on poverty levels as of 2022 (2021-22), as provided by NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals dashboard and Reserve Bank of India's 'Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy'.

The ranking is determined by the percentage of people living below the poverty line, which is calculated using the Tendulkar method on Mixed Reference Period (MRP).

10 poorest states in India

Bihar

Bihar is the 5th poorest state in India. Half of Bihar's population is living below the poverty line. The poverty level in this state is around 33.74%. The reasons behind poverty are both institutional and technical, illiteracy, and structural and institutional factors of agriculture.

Bihar has the highest proportion of people of the state’s population followed by Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh who are multidimensionally poor.

• Highest: 64.75% Kishanganj

• Lowest: 29.20% Patna

Chattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is one of the poorest states in India. About 1/3 of the population of Chhattisgarh lives below the poverty line. 93% of the people in the state of Chhattisgarh are poor. When we talk of state earnings, Chhattisgarh contributes only 15% of the total steel produced in India. The poverty level of this state is 39.93%.

Jharkhand

Jharkhand is the second poorest state in India. The poverty level of this state is about 42.16 percent. Jharkhand's social indicators such as literacy, enrollment, infant mortality, and child nutrition are below the all-India average. Earlier Jharkhand was a part of Bihar till 2000.

• MPI Jharkhand: 42.16 per cent People are Multi Dimensional Poor

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Manipur

Manipur is the third poorest state in India, it was formed in 1972. Poverty in Manipur is around 36.89%. There is a shortage of electricity, transportation and communication contribute to the industrial backwardness of this state. The social and economic structure of Manipur is one of the lowest in India.

Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh is the fourth poorest state in India. In this state, people below the poverty line constitute 34.67%. It is the largest state in the northeastern states and was formed in 1987.

• MPI : 24.27 %

Odisha

29.04% people are living below the poverty line. Half of the people in Odisha are educationally backward and female literacy is lower than the national average. The maximum number of children in the age group of six to 14 years is not going to school in Odisha.

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Assam

About 32.07% of the people in Assam are below the poverty line. The location of Assam is far from the major production centers of India and this is the main reason for its low economic progress. The climatic conditions of Assam also hamper the development of the state.

Madhya Pradesh

Poverty in Madhya Pradesh is around 36.07%. Madhya Pradesh is home to the largest number of ScheduledTribes (ST) in India and is often called the tribal state of India. The rural poor in forest areas, especially the tribal population, depend on forest resources for subsistence, income, and employment.

• Highest: 71.3% Alirajpur

• Lowest: 10.86% Indore

Uttar Pradesh

Poverty in UP is 37.08%. It is the largest state in India and one of the poorest states. Poverty, disease, and death continue in UP; Partly because many girls get married in their teens. UP is the state with the most malnourished children.

• Highest: 74.38% Shrawasti

• Lowest: 12.16% Lucknow

Karnataka

The percentage of people below the poverty line is 13.2%. Nutritional deficiency in children is severe in Karnataka. It has failed to spread Bangalore's development facilities to the rest of the state. It is one of the few states with just one city, Bangalore, with over 1 million people. North Karnataka has remained untouched by development.

• Karnataka: 13.2%
• MPI: 13.69%

What is Multi Dimensional Poverty Index

According to Global MPI 2021, India’s rank is 66 out of 109 countries. The National MPI is aimed at deconstructing the Global MPI and creating a globally aligned and yet customised India MPI for drawing up comprehensive Reform Action Plans with the larger goal of improving India’s position in the Global MPI rankings.

It has three equally weighted dimensions – health, education, and standard of living.

These three dimensions are represented by 12 indicators such as nutrition, school attendance, years of schooling, drinking water, sanitation, housing, bank accounts among others.

Poorest States & UTs in India with Percentage of Population BPL

State/UT	Rural (%)	Urban (%)	All India (%)
Kerala	0.76	0.32	0.55
Goa	1.90	0.12	0.84
Sikkim	3.75	0.51	2.60
Tamil Nadu	2.90	1.41	2.20
Punjab	4.74	4.76	4.75
Himachal Pradesh	5.23	2.96	4.93
Mizoram	10.77	0.58	5.30
Andhra Pradesh	7.71	2.20	6.06
Haryana	8.41	4.26	7.07
Karnataka	10.33	3.22	7.58
Telangana	7.51	2.73	5.88
Maharashtra	11.49	3.07	7.81
Tripura	16.47	4.69	13.11
Uttarakhand	10.84	7.00	9.67
Manipur	10.95	3.43	8.10
Gujarat	17.15	3.81	11.66
West Bengal	15.15	5.04	11.89
All India	19.28	5.27	14.96
Arunachal Pradesh	15.14	5.90	13.76
Nagaland	19.88	6.14	15.43
Odisha	17.72	5.42	15.68
Rajasthan	18.62	4.54	15.31
Chhattisgarh	19.71	4.59	16.37
Assam	21.41	6.88	19.35
Meghalaya	32.43	8.14	27.79
Madhya Pradesh	25.32	7.10	20.63
Uttar Pradesh	26.35	11.57	22.93
Jharkhand	34.93	8.67	28.81
Bihar	36.95	16.67	33.76
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	2.71	1.60	2.30
Lakshadweep	0.36	1.32	1.11
Puducherry	0.71	0.91	0.85
Delhi	2.57	3.45	3.43
Jammu and Kashmir	6.10	1.09	4.80
Chandigarh	3.88	3.51	3.52
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	12.27	5.67	9.21
Daman and Diu	–	–	9.21

List of Poorest States in India by GDP

State	GDP (in billion USD, 2023)	Factors Contributing to Poverty
Bihar	3.37	Dependence on agriculture: Bihar's economy, where 80% of the workforce is employed, lacks diversification, leading to poverty.
Sikkim	4.3	Agrarian Economy: Sikkim mainly relies on agriculture, including maize, millet, rice, tea, and cardamom. Limited industry impedes its economic progress.
Mizoram	4.6	Public administration, agriculture, and construction are key to Mizoram's economy. Limited industry and infrastructure development lead to poverty.
Goa	11	Despite its tourism popularity, Goa's GDP per capita is 2.5 times below national average due to its slow growth and tourism dependence, causing poverty.
Uttarakhand	24.786	Agriculture is a key sector in Uttarakhand's economy, producing crops such as basmati rice, wheat, soybeans, and oilseeds.
Tamil Nadu	20	Dependence on agriculture and textile industry: Tamil Nadu has a strong presence in agriculture and is one of India's top producers of agricultural goods. The textile industry also contributes significantly to the economy.
Andhra Pradesh	35	Agriculture, key to Andhra Pradesh's economy, supports exports and growing pharmaceutical and automobile industries.
Haryana	35.5	Haryana's economy primarily relies on agriculture, known for its production of wheat, rice, sugar cane, fruits, and vegetables.
Himachal Pradesh	40.7	Himachal Pradesh's economy heavily relies on its agricultural activities and abundant hydropower resources.
Punjab	40	Punjab's agriculture-based economy, enriched by fertile lands and large irrigation systems, greatly boosts India's food grain production.
Karnataka	240	Despite rapid urbanization, Karnataka's GSDP growth lags behind other Indian states, resulting in high poverty due to uneven development.

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