Top 10 most equal countries in the world and India's rank in it
The term 'most equal country' describes a nation where income and consumption are distributed more evenly among its population.
The Gini Index, a report by the World Bank, has placed India in the fourth position with a score of 25.5, much lower than countries like China (35.7), the USA (41.8), and the United Kingdom (34.4). It is also more equal than every G7 and G20 country, many of which are considered advanced economies.
Out of the 167 countries for which the World Bank has released data, India falls into the 'moderately low' inequality category and is just a fraction away from joining the 'low inequality' group, which includes countries like the Slovak Republic (24.1), Slovenia (24.3), and Belarus (24.4).
This marks a remarkable achievement for a country of its size and diversity. It reflects India's strong economic progress, which aims at reducing inequality and poverty. A recent World Bank report — The Spring 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief — also highlighted that India has successfully lifted 171 million people out of extreme poverty.
The share of people living on less than 2.15 US dollars a day, which was the global threshold for extreme poverty until June 2025, fell sharply from 16.2 percent in 2011–12 to just 2.3 percent in 2022–23.
The Gini Index measures the extent to which the distribution of income or consumption among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. In simpler terms, it provides a clear picture of how evenly income is distributed within a country.
The index ranges from 0 to 100 — a Gini Index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality. The higher the Gini Index the more unequal the country.
The data for the Index is based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database.
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