A village in Kutch may be the world’s richest: Here’s what built its ₹5,000 crore wealth

India may now be home to the richest village in the world—and it’s not where you’d expect. Madhapar, a small village in Gujarat’s Kutch region, holds over ₹5,000 crore in bank deposits across just 17 branches, according to a LinkedIn post by investment banker Sarthak Ahuja. 

That’s an average of ₹15–20 lakh per household—mostly thanks to its global diaspora.

Madhapar, populated largely by Patels and Mistris, has become a financial outlier. What sets it apart isn’t just local enterprise—but a vast, multi-continent network of NRIs. Over 65% of its population lives abroad, primarily in the UK, US, and across Africa, especially in the construction sector.

What’s remarkable is that these NRIs haven’t just left Madhapar behind—they’ve built its financial base. Decades after emigrating, many still send regular remittances, fund fixed deposits, and maintain long-term accounts in the village’s banks. This sustained inflow has helped Madhapar quietly amass one of the largest per capita deposit bases globally.

According to public data cited in financial media and verified through local bank officials, the ₹5,000 crore figure comes from aggregating deposits across all 17 banks in the village. With roughly 7,600 households, the per-family average falls in the ₹15–20 lakh range. Notably, this excludes corporate or business accounts—focusing only on individual and family savings.

The scale and sustainability of these deposits make Madhapar not just a wealthy outlier, but a case study in diaspora-driven development. Ahuja calls it “a classic case of being true to your motherland, while earning abroad.”

The broader impact is clear: the Gujarati community ranks among India’s top remitters of FDI and private inflows, often channeled directly into families, savings, and small businesses—not just real estate or equities.

Madhapar’s wealth isn’t built on unicorn startups or IT parks—it’s built on loyalty, remittances, and a quiet financial discipline that’s turned a village into a global standout.