Rich Indian households to double

In a new world order, being created by the growing importance of India and China in the global economic arena, the number of high-income households in the two countries would more than double to 6.4 million by 2010, from less than three million in 2005.

According to Hong Kong-based CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, India would account for a bigger pie of 3.8 million in the combined number of rich households in 2010, against 2.6 million in China. The study shows that India will have lesser number of 'deprived' households "" the lowest in the income range "" than China.

The number of deprived households in India would drop to 114 million in 2010, from 135 million in 2002, while there would be 290 million deprived Chinese households in 2010 against 301 million in 2005.