Maharashtra economically better off, but lags behind in social measures: Data

The State is among the top 10 in per capita income; it ranks last among all the States in the share of wasted children

Maharashtra is economically better off than many other States and it weathered the pandemic well. However, its performance on various social indicators, particularly those related to health and education, show a sobering trend.

With a per capita income of ₹2.8 lakh in 2023-24, over 50% more than the national average, Maharashtra is among the top 10 States on this measure. Five years ago, it was not in the top 10 list. The latest numbers therefore show an improvement in the State’s economic performance. However, the improvement post-pandemic was not spurred by manufacturing. The contribution of manufacturing to the State’s Gross State Value Added (GVA) is on a declining trend, from 15% in 2019-20 to 14.5% in 2023-24, despite the sector employing more workers than before (over 2 percentage points).

The State, which is set to vote in Assembly polls on November 20, spends a relatively small share of its budget on health. Its allocation for education has been reducing over recent years too. The social sector has been receiving lower allocations despite the State’s own tax revenues improving and committed expenditures decreasing.

Compared with 2019-20, Maharashtra’s per capita income rose by over 46% in 2023-24. The State’s rank improved from 10 to 8 out of 25 States with data, in that period

Table 1 shows Maharashtra’s per capita income (in INR) in 2019-20 and 2023-24.

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In general, the State’s spending on health as a share of total expenses has always been lower than other States. In 2024-25, Maharashtra is estimated to spend 4.6% on health. In estimated spending, it is ranked 16 out of 19 States, which is an improvement of just two ranks compared to five years prior.