Meghalaya’s per capita income is among the lowest in the country.
This was revealed in a recent report of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The EAC-PM report looked at the relative performance of states in terms of their share of the national economy and their per capita GDP as percentage of the national average from 1960-61 till 2023-24.
The report titled ‘Relative Economic Performance of Indian States: 1960-61 to 2023-24’ authored by EAC-PM Member Sanjeev Sanyal and Joint Director Aakanksha Arora showed that among the North East states, Sikkim’s per capita income surged from around 100 per cent of the national average in 2000-01 to 319 per cent in 2023-24.
As per the report, the relative per capita income of Meghalaya in 1980- 81 was 74.4 per cent. It grew to 77.1 per cent in 1990- 91 and 88.4 per cent in 2000- 01.
The State’s relative per capita income dropped to 81 per cent in 2010- 11 and 71.3 per cent in 2020- 21. The current per capita income of Meghalaya (2023-24) is 74.3 per cent.
Meghalaya’s share of national GDP in 1980- 81 was 0.2 per cent. It remains the same even in 2023- 24.
Mizoram’s per capita income grew rapidly from 1980-81 till today. In 1980-81, the relative per capita income was 70.4 per cent. In 2023-24, it jumped to 126.9 per cent.
Arunachal Pradesh also witnessed a growth in per capita income. In 1980-81 it was 85.8 per cent while in 2023-24 it grew to 118 per cent.
Nagaland’s per capita income in 1980-81 was 74.4 per cent. In 2023-24 it grew to 85.9 per cent.
In 1960-61, Assam’s per capita income was just slightly above the national average, with a per capita income of 103 per cent of national average. However, this figure began to decline steadily over the following decades, reaching a low of 61.2 per cent by 2010-11. Assam’s relative per capita income in 2023-24 is 73.7 per cent.
The worst performer was Manipur which in 1980-81 had a relative per capita income of 77.5 per cent which declined to 66 per cent in 2023-24.
The top performer in per capita income among North East states was Sikkim which in 1980- 81 was 85.8 per cent and kept growing every year. In 2023-24, the relative per capita income of Sikkim is 319.1 per cent.
Similarly, among small states, Sikkim and Goa are now India’s richest states measured in terms of per capita incomes.
Goa’s relative per capita income has nearly doubled, rising from 144 per cent in 1970-71 to 290 per cent in 2023- 24.
The poorest State by relative per capita income is Bihar with only 32.8 per cent in 2023-24.
Relative per capita income is defined as the percentage of per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) of the state to the all-India per capita Net National Product (NNP) or per capita Net National Income (NNI).
Relative per capita income is calculated as Per capita NSDP of the state divided by Per capita NNI of India multiplied by 100.
