Number Theory: Haryana economy much ahead of Punjab's, but most residents poorer

How the economic fortune and, with it, the political economy of these two contiguous states has diverged in the latter half of the post-reform period in India?

Haryana, which was carved out of Punjab as a separate state in 1966, will elect a new assembly in a month. The politics of the two states today is very different -- a reflection of the religious demographics of the two regions. 58% of Punjab’s population is Sikh while 87% of Haryana’s population is Hindu. The difference in religious demographics aside, a comparison of economies of Punjab and Haryana can give a useful insight into how the economic fortune and, with it, the political economy of these two contiguous states has diverged in the latter half of the post-reform period in India. Here are four charts that explain this in detail.

Haryana’s economy surged ahead of Punjab in the post-reform period.