The standard of living in India is constantly improving. However the gap between the poor and rich is ever more visible. The single most common indicator which is used to quantify standard of living is the per capita purchasing power parity (PPP) adjusted gross domestic product (GDP). In 2003, the per capita PPP adjusted GDP for India was US$ 3100. These figures can be compared to $33,000 for the USA, $4,900 for China and approximately $26,000 for most western European nations.

With one of the fastest growing economies in the world, clocked at an average growth rate of 7% between 2000-2003, India is fast on way to become a large and globally important consumer economy. However there is no indication how the growth rate will narrow the gap between one of world's richest men, Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, and the poor woman working so hard in the photo. For example 20% of the Indian population don't have toilets at home and usually go to the footpath, farm or any outdoor place for ablutions.

The Indian middle class, touted to be anywhere between 100 and 300 million depending on the data used, is fast becoming used to the Western consumer lifestyle. Though large disparities exist, the standard of living of the average Indian is slowly but definitely rising and, if current trends continue, will grow to be approximately one third that of the developed world (in PPP dollars) by the middle of the 21st century. In 2006, 22 percent of Indians lived under the poverty line, down from 50 percent in 1995. With consistently high economic growth over the next decade, however, India is aiming to eradicate poverty by 2020.

In the field of technology, India has entered the industry earning a good reputation, as well as a positive stereotype.

The standard of living in India can range in magnitudes such as limited medical facilities in rural areas to world class medical facilities in the cities. The very latest machinery is used in construction projects, but many of those in the extremely large labour pool still work without mechanisation. Even in downtown New Delhi, maintenance gangs can be seen using musclepower rather than machinery, as the photo on this page illustrates.