India has officially entered the ranks of Asia\u2019s major powers, according to the 2025 edition of the Asia Power Index released by Australian think tank Lowy Institute.<\/p>\n
With a comprehensive power score exceeding 40 points\u2014the threshold for \u2018major power\u2019 status\u2014India now firmly holds third place in the power hierarchy, behind only China and the US.<\/p>\n
This marks the second consecutive year India has been ranked third, after overtaking Japan in 2024. However, analysts note that even as India\u2019s gains are steady, the gap with China continues to widen, underscoring the challenges ahead in realising New Delhi\u2019s long-term vision of a multipolar world order.<\/p>\n
India recorded clear improvements in both economic and military capabilities this year. The Index noted strong GDP growth, rising international investment inflows, and an improved perception of India\u2019s geopolitical relevance, including connectivity and technology.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s economic capability ranking rose to third place, ahead of Japan, while its score for economic relationships improved for the first time since the Index was launched in 2018.<\/p>\n
A key driver was foreign investment, with India overtaking China as the top destination for inward investment after the US, reflecting global efforts to diversify supply chains and India\u2019s growing appeal as an investment hub.<\/p>\n
On the defence front, India\u2019s military capability improved modestly, bolstered by favourable expert assessments and the success of Operation Sindoor, conducted in May 2025, which added to India\u2019s operational experience.\u00a0However, India\u2019s defence networks\u2014a measure of military partnerships and alliances\u2014showed a decline, with its ranking dropping to 11th place, behind the Philippines and Thailand.<\/p>\n
Despite advances in hard power, India continues to underperform in influence, as reflected in its expanding Power Gap score\u2014the divergence between its resource potential and actual influence in the region. Diplomatic relationships and defence ties have not kept pace with India\u2019s growing resources.<\/p>\n
While the country recorded minor gains in diplomatic influence, benefitting from continuity in foreign policy and expanding dialogues, it did not improve its standing in regional or global leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Analysts say India\u2019s emphasis on strategic autonomy, multi-alignment, and Global South diplomacy has yet to translate into greater strategic leverage in Asia.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s cultural influence rose this year, driven by an increase in people-to-people exchanges and a boost in tourism and travel connectivity. New direct flights\u2014including a notable route between India and Brunei\u2014has strengthened India\u2019s regional engagement.<\/p>\n
Overall, the 2025 Asia Power Index presents India as a rising yet restrained power\u2014one whose capabilities are expanding but whose influence still falls short of its potential.<\/p>\n
The Index ranks 27 countries and territories across Asia, measuring both resources and influence to map the balance of power in the region. It highlights seven major trends this year, including a weakening US position, China\u2019s growing strategic advantage, and Russia\u2019s resurgence in Asia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"India has officially entered the ranks of Asia\u2019s major powers, according to the 2025 edition of the Asia…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159705,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[96210,96211,96212,96213,96214,96215,96216,114,184,85,96217,96218,46,96219],"class_list":["post-159704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-asiapowerindex","tag-foreigninvestmentindia","tag-geopoliticalrelevance","tag-indiaasia","tag-indiagloballeadership","tag-indiarising","tag-multipolarworldorder","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-il","tag-indianeconomy","tag-indianmilitary","tag-israel","tag-modigovernment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}