Poverty, wealth inequality and financial inclusion among castes in Hindu and Muslim communities in Uttar Pradesh, India

This study estimates poverty, wealth inequality and financial inclusion, for the first time, at sub-caste level in both Hindus Muslims using a unique survey data collected from 7124 households Uttar Pradesh, India, during 2014–2015. The results confirm existing hypothesis that Brahmins, Thakurs other Hindu general castes have higher accumulation, lower poverty lesser exclusion formal services than Dalits. Exclusion forces Dalits to depend primarily on informal sources borrowing—which leads misfortune further dragging them into vicious cycle of poverty.