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5. India: The Rich-Poor Divide (part 1)

  • Writer: Kerry Paul
    Kerry Paul
  • Mar 27, 2025
  • 2 min read

Updated: Dec 21, 2025

Indian men sitting in shop front

I recently traveled to India to explore how this fascinating country has evolved and what drives it today (As well as to further research on how India shaped the world). While India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, it’s also among the most unequal. Stories of extreme poverty coexist with accounts of India’s rise as a global superpower. How has this stark dichotomy come to be?


Here’s what I learned:


The Size of the Divide

Two simple facts underscore the immense disparity in wealth distribution in India:

  1. The top 10% of the population controls 77% of the country’s total national wealth. In 2017, 73% of the wealth generated went to the richest 1%.

  2. Meanwhile, about 60% of India’s 1.4 billion people live on less than $3.10 a day—the World Bank's median poverty line. Shockingly, 21%, or over 250 million people, survive on less than $2 a day.


The Dichotomy of India

India presents a striking contrast: one side showcases billionaires, cutting-edge technological innovation, Western-standard infrastructure, and thriving large enterprises. The other side, comprising the majority, struggles with inadequate housing, lacks access to running water, depends on communal toilets, bathes in the open and lives in conditions of abject poverty.


Poverty in India stems from a complex web of overlapping factors. The caste system perpetuates systemic inequalities, while socio-economic status, geographic location, and ethnicity collectively limit access to education, healthcare, and job opportunities. For many, the next generation faces an almost insurmountable challenge in breaking free from the cycle of poverty.



Elderly Woman Sleeping in City Street in Mumbai India

A Personal Perspective

During my visit, I traveled to five cities in northwestern India—Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur —as well as Varanasi in the northeast and Mumbai in the southwest. I also took three extensive road trips, covering over 2,000 kilometers through rural India. These journeys provided me with a deep understanding of the urban-rural divide and how wealth is unequally distributed between the rich and the poor.




To be continued in the next post...


Your next read in the series: 6. India: The Rich-Poor Divide (part 2)

Comments

Kerry Paul Business man and blogger
Kerry Paul – Stepping Out of Your Bubble Author
​

Hi, I'm Kerry. I enjoy challenging people by asking questions and presenting different views to encourage critical thinking. My 45-year career has always had a global focus, building successful relationships in over 50 countries. I am empathetic to diverse views, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religion, culture, or socio-economic status. Join me on a captivating journey as we explore how India shaped the world over two thousand years ago, potentially leading to the first settlement of New Zealand. This blog series aims to expand readers' awareness and knowledge of how people may have come to New Zealand in pre-Polynesian times. Given the time constraints many readers face, I am providing a platform for them to consider these intriguing possibilities in easy-to-read blog posts.

 

Who were the first people to settle in New Zealand? How did India possibly contribute to any development, given its major role over 2000 years ago in some of New Zealand’s closest neighbours? These questions will guide our exploration and open up a rich dialogue about the historical connections and cultural exchanges that may have shaped New Zealand's early settlements.

 

I'd be more than happy to discuss with readers of my blog about India, its history as well as New Zealand and the suggested origins of its first settlers. 

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