How much more does Narendra Modi earn in comparison to average Indian citizen?

By Jasmine Gearie*
Income inequality is on the rise in India, according to an Oxfam report released last month. The greater amount of national income going to an increasingly smaller percentage of individuals in both developed and developing countries has contributed to the political upheaval in recent years. With the general election approaching, job search engine Adzuna analysed how much more Prime Minister Narendra Modi earns in comparison to the average Indian.
The website also compared the salaries of 45 world leaders (click HERE) to that of their country’s gross national income (GNI) per capita to uncover which countries have the greatest income disparity between the politicians and the people they govern.

India makes the top 10

With an annual salary of an estimated Rs 20 lakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earns 15 times more than the average citizen in India, where the GNI is ₹1,33,055. This places India among the top 10 countries with the greatest income disparity between the leader and their people, coming in at ninth place.
The findings are in line with the Oxfam report, which claims that while India is an emerging economy experiencing rapid growth, rates of income inequality are high, and among the most unequal in the world.
The salary gap between Prime Minister Modi and the average Indian worker is higher than that of most nations - the average world leader’s salary is seven times higher than that of their citizens.

Wide pay gaps in South Africa, Indonesia and Singapore

The countries that occupy the top of the table, with the greatest income disparity between leader and citizen, are South Africa, Indonesia and Singapore. South Africa comes in at first place with President Cyril Ramaphosa earning a staggering 41 times more than the national average.
Ranking second place is Indonesia, where President Joko Widodo earns 35 times the national average. While Cyril Ramaphosa and Joko Widodo make an estimated Rs 1.6 croreand Rs 90 lakh respectively, both South Africa and Indonesia have a GNI of under Rs 4.7 lakh.
Finally, rounding out the top three is Singapore. While the country has a GNI of ₹39,85,382 – roughly 10 times greater than that of South Africa and 15 times greater than that of Indonesia – Halimah Yacob, President of Singapore, still earns 30 times more than her average citizen with an estimated salary of Rs 11 crore.

Nordic countries and China

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Finland, Iceland, Norway and China sit together at the bottom of the table, where their leaders’ annual salaries are just three times that of the national average. While China’s GNI is just over Rs 5.5 lakh, Finland, Iceland and Norway sit between ₹31,56,396 and ₹55,70,111.

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*PR India and Singapore, Adzuna. Contact: jasmine@adzuna.com

A search engine for job ads, Adzuna claims to provide smarter search options and powerful data about the job market, giving job seekers the information they need to take control of their career. It operates in 16 countries and was chosen by the UK government to run their Find a Job service. Website: www.adzuna.in, www.adzuna.sg

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