Does Britain owe India $65tn in colonial-era reparations?

Staggering sum in Oxfam report triggers fresh debate over thorny issue

20250203 India indigo plant and manufacture

India was under British colonial rule until the country achieved independence in 1947. © Getty Images

NEETA LAL

NEW DELHI -- Does the United Kingdom owe reparations to India? Debate over that long-simmering question has been reignited by a controversial report that claims India's former colonial master extracted nearly $65 trillion in wealth from the subcontinent.

Oxfam International highlighted the staggering sum in its "Takers not Makers: The unjust poverty and unearned wealth of colonialism" report that was released at last month's World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, grabbing newspaper headlines and igniting stormy exchanges on television and social media.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.