Additional Graphs

India's economy has grown considerably since 1960. The previous page illustrated growth by region. However, it left unanswered how rich each region was initially and how the relative economic rankings of regions have shifted over time. The below displays real per capita net state domestic product (NSDP) by region for 1960, 1991, and 2023. In short, the western and northern parts of India were originally relatively rich and remain so today, the heartland of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was relatively poor in 1960 and remains so today, and southern India was average until the early 1990s but has since become the richest region in India. It's important to note for context that this only refers to GDP per person and does not consider vital issues like inequality, health, education, and public services.