Measured in domestic terms, wealth has grown rapidly in India since 2000

Measured in domestic terms, wealth has grown rapidly in India since 2000 except during the global financial crisis. Annual growth of wealth per adult in rupees has averaged 8% over 2000-2015. Prior to 2008, wealth also rose strongly in US dollar terms, from USD 2,040 in 2000 to USD 5,100 in 2007. After falling 26% in 2008, it rebounded to reach USD 5,300 in 2010, but then fell 13% in 2011 due to adverse exchange rate movements. Depreciation of the rupee has continued since, so that wealth per adult has not regained its previous peak and was just USD 4,350 in mid-2015. 

As in many other developing countries, personal wealth in India is dominated by property and other real assets, which make up 86% of estimated household assets. Personal debts are estimated to be only USD 346, even when adjustments are made for the significant underreporting that is believed to affect the household survey used to estimate personal debts in India. While wealth has been rising strongly in India and the ranks of the middle class and wealthy have been swelling, not everyone has shared in this growth and there is still a great deal of poverty. This is reflected in the fact that 95% of the adult population has wealth below USD 10,000. 

At the other end of the scale, a very small proportion of the population (just 0.3%) has a net worth over USD 100,000. However, due to India's large population, this translates into 2.4 million people. India has 254,000 members of the top 1% of global wealth holders, which equates to a 0.5% share.