No Slide for Sonar Bangla

The Tribune     17th October 2020     Save    

Context: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently announced that an average Bangladeshi will end up being better-off this year than an average Indian. 

Economic Growth of India in Comparison to Bangladesh

  • Per capita GDP: of Bangladesh ($1,888) will be higher than India ($1,876) in 2020. 
  • Per capita GDP in Purchasing Price Parity (PPP): India is a higher position than Bangladesh but the rise in Bangladesh’s per capita GDP (38%) is higher than India (15%).
  • Per capita income: Rise in income of Indian (Rs 1,374 or 37.4%) will be lower than the Bangladesh (Rs  1,123 or 50.2%) in 2025.
  • Median wealth data compiled by Credit Suisse: half of the people in India have more or less the same wealth as half the people in Bangladesh
    • Median wealth in India was $3,042, while that in Bangladesh was $2,787, less than 8% lower in 2019. 
  • Ratio of per capita wealth to median wealth: in India was 4.8 while in Bangladesh it was 2.4 in 2019.
    • In other words, despite Bangladesh’s lower per capita income, it is highly likely that a larger proportion of Bangladeshis are better off than us.

Conclusion: While Bangladesh has managed to shrug off the stigma of extreme poverty and hunger, India has slipped from being the most promising economy to one that failed to live up to its potential.