India becomes world’s sixth biggest economy, edging out France : World Bank

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The Indian economy rebounded strongly from July 2017. India has become the world’s sixth-biggest economy, pushing France into seventh place, according to updated World Bank figures for 2017.

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to $2.597 trillion at the end of last year, against $2.582 trillion for France.
The economy rebounded strongly from July 2017, after several quarters of slowdown blamed on economic policies pursued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

India, with around 1.34 billion inhabitants, is poised to become the world’s most populous nation, whereas the French population stands at 67 million.

This means that the country’s per capita GDP continues to amount to just a fraction of that of France which is still roughly 20 times higher, according to World Bank figures. India has doubled its GDP within a decade and is expected to power ahead as a key economic engine in Asia, even as China slows down.

According to the International Monetary Fund, India is projected to generate growth of 7.4% this year and 7.8% in 2019, boosted by household spending and a tax reform.

This compares to the world’s expected average growth of 3.9%.

The London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research, a consultancy, said at the end of last year that India would overtake both Britain and France this year in terms of GDP, and had a good chance to become the world’s third-biggest economy by 2032. At the end of 2017, Britain was still the world’s fifth-biggest economy with a GDP of $2.622 trillion. The US is the world’s top economy, followed by China, Japan and Germany.

‘India’s growth at risk if Modi is not re-elected’

John Chambers, a former executive chairman and CEO of CISCO Systems told media persons that India has a chance to be the strongest growth-inclusive country in the world. India’s “impressive development and inclusive growth” stand at risk if Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not get a chance to lead the country after the next year’s parliamentary elections. He was responding to a question what if Modi is not re-elected in the 2019 elections.

I think Prime Minister Modi has the capability of doing it. “I think he has the country headed in the right way.” “Modi is courageous. He wakes up every day thinking about your country’s future,” he said.