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Asked which place in the country they would like to make their home at, most people may immediately vote for the National Capital Region of Delhi, business hub Maharashtra or even the much-talked about Gujarat.
But macroeconomic data on per capita income and growth in income in the last seven years compiled by CEIC Data Company, an economic research organisation, suggest that prospects are better in the smaller States. The most affluent State is the tiny Goa, with residents enjoying an average income of Rs 1.92 lakh in 2011-12.
Goa tops Delhi in the affluence rankings; The average annual income in the Capital is Rs 1.75 lakh. Chandigarh (Rs 1.4 lakh) is the third-best place to earn a living in terms of the per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP). Closely following is Sikkim, the fourth richest State. In 2007-08, it was ranked 17{+t}{+h}. The Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Haryana all feature in the list of the top 5 States in terms of per capita NSDP between 2007-08 and 2011-12.
The inequality among States has also been growing. For example, in 2007-08 while Goans were earning Rs 97,657 more than Biharis, but by 2011-12, the gap had widened to Rs 1.69 lakh. Similarly, the Delhite-Bihari gap of Rs 84,190 had widened to Rs 1.5 lakh in the same time frame.
Despite a rapid rise in the per capita income, Bihar was at the bottom of the pool with the average citizen earning Rs 23,435 in 2011-12. The rear was brought up by the most populous State Uttar Pradesh (NSDP per capita of Rs 30,052 per year) and Manipur (Rs 32,284).
The rankings have been changing over the years. The Bottom 5 rankings have seen States swat places, though none was able to climb up the ladder.
The average per capita NSDP across the country stands at Rs 74,077 a year. The residents of Chandigarh, Haryana, Sikkim and Maharashtra all enjoy per capita NSDP of over Rs 1 lakh a year.
Southern States and Union Territories like Tamil Nadu (NSDP per capita of Rs 84,496), Kerala (Rs 83,725) and Puducherry (Rs 95,759) were also better places to earn a living, beating the national average.
While the per capita NSDP figures are influenced by the population of each State, it is nevertheless useful in determining whether the income of the people of a State has been keeping pace with that of the rest of their countrymen.
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