Life in India

India is currently ranked 132 out of 191 countries and territories in the Human Development Index (HDI). India is the second largest country by population and is home to some of the poorest and most marginalised people in the world. Around 10% of India’s population lives below the International Poverty Line ($2.15 per day).

Food insecurity in India is aggravated by high levels of inequality and social exclusion across the country. Malnutrition rates are exceptionally high, with a quarter of the world’s undernourished people living in India. In the last 20 years, per capita income increased significantly and yet, the minimum dietary intake fell. The widening gap between rich and poor has intensified during this period and this makes India an important focus in the fight against world hunger.

The complex and deeply hierarchical caste structure in India means that members of scheduled castes (the lowest caste in Hindu orthodoxy) are often marginalised. While primary education is compulsory in India, children from scheduled castes and tribes often find it difficult to access government schools. 

Around 13% of children do not complete primary school education and there are significant gender inequalities in education, with girls typically only benefitting from 5.37 years of schooling, versus 7.64 years for boys. However, both boys and girls struggle to get the education they need for many reasons. Across the country, there are 3,067,813 children out of school, and over 70% of these are boys.