The term “Indian economy” refers to the economic system of India, which is one of the largest and fastest-growing economies in the world. Ranked as the fifth-largest by nominal GDP, India is an emerging economic powerhouse with a diverse economic structure. As a developing country, India follows a mixed economy model, incorporating both public and private sector elements. While the government plays a significant role in regulating and overseeing essential sectors like defense, infrastructure, and transportation, it also encourages private enterprise and foreign investment to drive growth in other industries.
Historically, India’s economy was predominantly agrarian, with a large portion of the population engaged in agriculture. However, over the past few decades, the country has undergone significant economic transformations. This change was marked by the liberalization of the economy in the 1990s, which opened up markets, reduced trade barriers, and attracted foreign direct investment (FDI). These reforms played a key role in integrating India into the global economy and propelled growth in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, and services.
The services sector, particularly information technology (IT), telecommunications, and business process outsourcing (BPO), has emerged as a cornerstone of the Indian economy. In parallel, India’s industrial base has also expanded, with key areas like automobile manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and steel production contributing to its development. This growth is further fueled by India’s large and growing domestic market, driven by an expanding middle class, rapid urbanization, and a young labor force.
India’s trade relations have evolved over the years, with significant partnerships formed with countries such as the United States, the European Union, and China. However, India faces a growing trade imbalance with China, importing more than it exports. Additionally, the depreciation of the Indian rupee has led to challenges like inflation and rising import costs.
Read that and none the wiser as to the size of the challenge so I went to the IMF. Here it is:
GDP per capita PPP (IMF-2025):
1. USA: I$89,100;
2. RoKorea: I$65,000;
3. EU: i$64,500;
4. Japan: i$54,700;
5. Turkey: I$43,000;
6. PRoChina: I$29,000;
7. Mexico: I$25,000;
8. Brazil: I$23,000;
9. Egypt: I$22,000;
10. Iran: I$20,000;
11. Algeria: I$18,000;
12. Indonesia: I$17,600;
13. Vietnam: I$17,500;
14. S.Africa: I$16,000;
15. India: I$12,100;
16. Morocco: I$11,200;
16. Bangladesh: I$10,200;
What is most remarkable to me about India’s GDP growth is not that it’s now the fourth largest in GDP terms, but that it outpaced the IMF’s November 2024 projection that India would pass Japan’s GDP in 2 years, so around November 2026. The robustness of the growth can be seen in the fact that India became the 4th largest in just 6 months of IMF’s projection. That is ~80% sooner than projected.