India’s growth continued to be resilient, despite some signs of a moderation in the second half of FY22/23. Global economic activity slowed in the second half of 2022 on the back of synchronized monetary policy tightening, deteriorating financial conditions and ongoing inflationary pressures. However, the reopening of China’s economy and stronger than expected growth outcomes in the United States and euro area at the end of 2022 are providing some tailwinds to growth in 2023. Although significant challenges remain in the global environment, India was one of the fastest growing economies in the world with real GDP growing 7.7 percent year-on-year during Q1-Q3 fiscal year 2022/23 (April-March, FY22/23). Growth was underpinned by robust domestic demand – strong investment activity bolstered by the government’s capex push and buoyant private consumption, particularly among higher income earners. While the overall growth momentum remains robust and real GDP growth for FY22/23 is estimated to be 6.9 percent, there were signs of moderation in Q3 as growth slowed to 4.4 percent year-on-year (y-o-y). There was also a change in the composition of domestic demand in Q3 FY22/23 with a lower share from government consumption as fiscal consolidation efforts continued. Estimates suggest that the pandemic induced a spike in extreme poverty ($2.15), of up to 4 percentage points, moderated in FY21/22.1 Facilitated by widespread access to vaccines, extreme poverty rates are estimated to have declined to 13.8 percent in FY21/22, although not as low as pre-pandemic levels. Continued poverty reduction in FY22/23 will depend on how the economic rebound translates into productive jobs for the bottom half of the population and the welfare implications of fiscal consolidation efforts.
[2]