Asia | Latitude is everything

India’s regional inequality could be politically explosive

The southern states make more money while northern states make more babies

A pedestrian wheels a bicycle past the largely idled plant owned by General Motors Co. in Talegaon, Maharashtra, India, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021. Even as foreign investment in India increases rapidly, GM's $1.1 billion in losses, followed by the political and legal woes keeping it from selling its factory complex, is a stark warning to foreign investors. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Oct 27th 2022|DELHI AND MUMBAI

Goa, on India’s western coast, is famed for its endless beaches, plentiful prawns and high quality of life. Bihar, along the fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain in the north, has a less savoury reputation. It is thought of by many Indians as a land of deprivation and lawlessness. Neither stereotype is entirely accurate, but they hint at a deeper truth. In terms of economic development, the difference between Goa and Bihar is like that between southern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Latitude is everything”