India Ranks 123 On Inequality Index, Moves Up By 6 Places

According to the recent Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRII) 2022, India has ranked 123 out of 161 countries in reducing inequality. India's ranking has risen by six places, which shows improvement. However, India still remains amongst the worst performers in terms of overall spending in the healthcare sector.

In 2020, India ranked 129 in reducing inequality. The country had risen 12 places through progressive spending.

CRII 2022

The 2022 CRII examines government initiatives and measures against inequality during the first two years of the COVID-19 epidemic in 161 nations.

Norway ranked first in the index overall for policies aimed at reducing inequality. This list was followed by Germany, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Japan, Denmark, and New Zealand.

Other Rankings

India has moved up three places to the 16th position for progressive taxes.

India has dropped 73 spots in ranking for minimum wage because the country was reclassified as not having a set national minimum wage.

Under the impact of public spending on reducing inequality indicators, India's ranking rose by 27 places. Under the 'Impact of tax on reducing inequality indicator', the rankings rose by 33 places.

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India's Poor Health Spending

As per the Oxfam analysis based on the index, India is again among the nations with the lowest spending on health. According to the report, our ranking has dropped by two positions. India now ranks at the 157th spot, which is the fifth lowest position.

According to NDTV, Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam India said, "The 2022 CRII report shows India making marginal gains when it comes to reducing inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic. India, which was ranked 129 in the previous index in 2020 has moved up six places mainly due to indicators quantifying the impact of public spending and the impact of tax on reducing inequality."

"These are the positives from the report but what's worrying is that India is still lagging when it comes to spending on health, education, and social security," he added.

While pointing out India's position among the lowest performers on health spending again, Behar said, "India has dropped a further two places in the rankings, to 157th (or 5th lowest in the world). India even made small cuts in health spending between 2019 and 2021 - at a time of unprecedented health need and crisis. Given the wide criticism of the government's response to COVID-19 and the great need for healthcare improvements, it is disappointing to see that things are still moving in the wrong direction."

According to the report, the health spending of India is merely 3.64 percent of its total spending. Out of all the BRICS (five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and neighbouring nations, this is the lowest.

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