Hindus and Muslims Earn Approx Same in India

There is a myth perpetrated in India that the Muslim brethren are poorer than the Hindu brethren. It makes a lot of sense to propagate this myth for political purposes, so invariably you will hear this being brought up in the media. However, a recent (by recent I mean 2007) survey by National Council of Economic Research, this myth is blown out of water.

Truth be told, at the national level, Hindus and Muslims are closer than you thought as far as average household income, expenditure, savings and even ownership of select consumer goods go.

The report further states that

Hindus and Muslims, at a national level, run neck-and-neck on average annual household income (AHI) of Rs 61, 423 and Rs 58,420, respectively. Or, to put it differently, an average Hindu household has an income of Rs 168 per day, while an average Muslim household earns Rs 160 a day. In rural India, an average Hindu AHI is Rs 49,077 with Muslim close behind with AHI of Rs 47,805. On income parameters, at least, Hindus and Muslims are, indeed, bhai-bhai.

This is important because Pakistani detractors and jihadists often claim that Indian muslims are treated poorly by the largely Hindu society.

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