AP Second Among 28 States in Access to Opportunities
State topped the country in socio-economic security, according to the CNES index.
Andhra Pradesh has secured the second rank among 28 states in the country in the Access Equality Index (AEI)-2026, which assesses people's access to opportunities, infrastructure, education, healthcare and social security.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the TD-led NDA government was working to attract investments, create wealth, improve governance and unlock opportunities for people. He said the government's focus on welfare, development and good governance had strengthened public support. Describing the State's second-place ranking as a matter of pride, he congratulated everyone who contributed to the achievement.
Goa topped the index with a score of 0.68, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 0.66. Tamil Nadu and Telangana shared the third position with scores of 0.57 each. The Centre for New Economic Studies (CNES) at O.P. Jindal Global University developed the index to assess not only the economic wealth of States but also how effectively governments utilise their resources to ensure equal opportunities and access to essential services. The CNES recognised Andhra Pradesh as a front-runner State based on its performance.
The index evaluates five key dimensions — basic infrastructure, healthcare, education, socio-economic security and access to justice. It uses 60 indicators across 23 categories, assigning equal weightage to each of the five dimensions.
Andhra Pradesh secured the top position nationally in the socio-economic security category with a score of 0.69, while Goa stood second with 0.50.
The report noted that despite ranking 13th in per capita income, Andhra Pradesh had secured the second position in providing access to opportunities. Based on its economic status, the State's expected access score was 0.51, but it achieved an actual score of 0.66, exceeding the expected level by 0.15 points. This was the highest positive gap between income and access to opportunities among all States. Kerala followed with a positive difference of 0.07, while Himachal Pradesh recorded 0.06.
The index assesses the availability and accessibility of essential services and facilities, including drinking water, sanitation, housing, clean energy, healthcare, education, employment, banking, insurance, pensions and legal services.
