India to surpass Japan as fourth-largest economy this year: IMF
What's the story
India is set to overtake Japan as the world's fourth-largest economy later this year, data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows.
The Indian economy is expected to achieve a nominal GDP of $4.187 trillion in 2025, slightly ahead of Japan's anticipated $4.186 trillion GDP.
The change in economic rankings is a major milestone for India on its journey to becoming one of the world's top economies.
Growth forecast
India's economic growth trajectory
In 2024, India was the fifth-largest economy in the world with a $3.9 trillion GDP, just behind Japan's $4.1 trillion.
The IMF's World Economic Outlook released last month, projects India's economy to grow by 6.3%, a slight revision from an earlier estimate of 6.5%.
Japan's real-term growth, on the other hand, is expected to be much lower at just 0.6%.
These numbers highlight India's strong and resilient performance on the world stage.
Future projections
India's climb to 3rd-largest economy by 2028
Looking ahead, India is expected to become the third-largest economy by 2028, surpassing Germany.
By 2027, India's GDP is expected to cross the $5 trillion mark at $5.07 trillion, just shy of Germany's economy by a mere $13 million.
By 2030, India's economy size is expected to be much larger than German and Japanese economies with a GDP of $6.8 trillion.
It will likely trail China at second and the US at the top rank.