This study investigated religious group differences in the explanation for poverty in India. Hindus, Moslems, Christians and Parsees were asked to rate fifteen explanations for poverty in India according to their importance. Previous research on lay explanations for poverty, has indicated that people tend to explain poverty in terms of personal responsibility, societal and structural influences and fatalistic misfortune. A number of differences were found in the different subject groups' explanations for poverty. There were no correlations between the way in which British and Indian subjects explained poverty in their respective countries. Results were discussed in terms of the psychology of explanations and religious beliefs, and the implications for social change policies were noted.