Multidimensional poverty at the epicentre: analysing socio-religious disparities in Uttar Pradesh, India

Purpose - This study aims to present a comprehensive analysis of multidimensional poverty in Uttar Pradesh, revealing specific deprivation faced by various social and religious groups. It identifies poverty risks and changes in deprivations to assess inter-group disparities among social and religious groups, offering insights for targeted policies. Design/methodology/approach - The study uses the updated and harmonised global multidimensional poverty index methodology, using unit-level records from past three National Family Health Surveys conducted between 2005–2006 and 2019–2021. This study used multivariate regression analysis to examine how social, religious, household and regional factors interact to influence deprivation. Findings - Scheduled castes and Muslims face disproportionately high poverty levels and intense deprivations, surpassing their population shares significantly. Inter-group poverty differences are narrowing, but Muslims experience slower improvement. Rural–urban poverty disparities persist, notably among less disadvantageous groups. Deprivational challenges persist in education-related indicators, undernutrition, sanitation, cooking fuel and housing. Scheduled castes experience significant deprivation across all ten indicators, while both Hindus and Muslims are highly deprived in housing and cooking fuel indicators. Muslims face persistent educational challenges. Marginalised groups (SCs, Muslims), larger households, households living in rural areas and female-headed households experience higher deprivation; non-nuclear families and bank account access are associated with lower deprivation. Originality/value - In addressing Uttar Pradesh’s significant role in global poverty, this study fills a vital gap in the literature. As the state pursues social and economic progress, the findings of the study will provide a roadmap for a more equitable future.