New Delhi: India is poised to surpass Japan and become the world’s fourth-largest economy by the third quarter of the 2024-25 financial year, according to the latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has seen remarkable growth, more than doubling from $2.1 trillion in 2015 to an expected $4.3 trillion by 2025. This surge in economic activity has positioned India as the world’s fifth-largest economy, with the country now closing in on Japan, whose GDP currently stands at $4.4 trillion.
The IMF data highlights India’s impressive economic performance, with its GDP growing by 105% over the past decade, while Japan’s economy has remained stagnant in comparison. If this growth trajectory continues, India could surpass Germany—the third-largest economy, with a GDP of $4.9 trillion—by the second quarter of 2027.
India’s GDP growth has outpaced several major global economies in recent years. Over the past decade, while China’s economy grew by 76%, the United States saw a 66% increase, Germany 44%, France 38%, and the UK 28%, India’s economy expanded by the highest rate among them.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has praised the nation’s economic performance, calling it “outstanding” and noting that India has outperformed all members of the G7, G20, and BRICS groups.
India’s rise in the global economic rankings has been steady but remarkable. It took the country six decades to reach its first $1 trillion in GDP in 2007. By 2014, India crossed the $2 trillion threshold, and despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy grew to $3 trillion in 2021. Now, in just four years, India is set to reach $4.3 trillion.
Experts predict that if this pace continues, India could add $1 trillion to its GDP every 1.5 years, potentially reaching a $10 trillion economy by 2032.
However, despite India’s rapid growth, the gap with the world’s top two economies remains vast. The United States leads the global economy with a GDP of $30.3 trillion, followed by China at $19.5 trillion.
