Pandemic pushed over 3 crore Indians out of middle class: Pew Research

Almost a year into the pandemic, the strength of India’s middle class has shrunk to 6.6 crores, down a third from a pre-pandemic estimate of 9.9 crores. Moreover, the number of poor people in the country went up by 7.5 crores. Here is all you need to know:

A recent research report has revealed that the novel coronavirus pandemic last year pushed approximately 3.2 crore Indians out of the middle class. The report prepared by the US-based Pew Research Center showed that the number of Indians in the middle class — those who earn between $10 (Rs 724) to $20 (Rs 1,449) per day — shrunk by roughly 3.2 crores. It also revealed that a high rate of job losses had pushed millions into poverty in India.