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.

---

*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

Comments

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

By Sandeep Pandey, Faisal Khan The Indian government has registered a protest with Bangladesh over the mob lynching of two Hindus—Deepu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and Amrit Mandal in Rajbari. In its communication, the government cited a report by the Association of Hindus, Buddhists and Christian Unity Council, which claims that more than 2,900 incidents of killings, arson, and land encroachments targeting minorities have taken place since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh.

ArcelorMittal faces global scrutiny for retreat from green steel, job cuts, and environmental violations

By Jag Jivan ArcelorMittal is facing mounting criticism after cancelling or delaying nearly all of its major green steel projects across Europe, citing an “unsupportive policy environment” from the European Union . The company has shelved projects in Germany , Belgium , and France , while leaving the future of its Spanish decarbonisation plan uncertain. The decision comes as global unions warn that more than 5,500 jobs are at risk across its operations, including 4,000 in South Africa , 1,400 in Europe, and 160 in Canada .

Dalit woman student’s death sparks allegations of institutional neglect in Himachal college

By A Representative A Dalit rights organisation has alleged severe caste- and gender-based institutional violence leading to the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman student at Government Degree College, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and has demanded arrests, resignations, and an independent inquiry into the case.

2025 was not just a bad year—it was a moral failure, it normalised crisis

By Atanu Roy* The clock has struck midnight. 2025 has passed, and 2026 has arrived. Firecrackers were already bursting in celebration. If this is merely a ritual, like Deepavali, there is little to comment on. Otherwise, I find 2025 to have been a dismal year, weighed down by relentless odds—perhaps the worst year I have personally witnessed.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

The instrument of oppression and liberation: A new look at the flute in Hindi poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* The intellectual revolution brought about by structuralism in the mid-twentieth century fundamentally altered the way scholars approached literature, language, anthropology, and culture. At its core lay the conviction that all human expressions—whether linguistic, mythic, or literary—are organized by deep, underlying structures that reflect universal patterns of the human mind.

Search This Blog