The country’s demographic advantage, with half its population below the age of 25 years, with rising per capita income will ensure strong domestic demand.India could emerge as the world’s third largest economy by 2030, benefiting from strong domestic demand and favourable demographics.However, the banking entity noted that country’s reform agenda need to be sustained for achieving high growth.
“India has the fundamentals to emerge a winner in the super-cycle, potentially becoming the world’s third-largest economy by 2030... India is likely to grow faster, on average, than China over the next two decades,” Standard Chartered Global Research said in ‘India in the Super Cycle.In 2010, the world’s major economies were US ($14.6 trillion), China ($5.7 trillion) and Japan ($5.4 trillion). India did not figure among the top ten, as per International Monetary Fund data.
By 2030, StanChart said India will be at number three position with an economy of $30.3 trillion, behind China ($73.5 trillion) and US ($38.2 trillion).It said that the country’s demographic advantage, with half its population below the age of 25 years, with rising per capita income will ensure strong domestic demand.“India has many of the features that will enable it to emerge as a winner in the super-cycle. We believe the winners will be those countries which have cash, commodities, or creativity, or a combination of these factors. India does not have an abundance of cash or commodities, but it has creative potential,” it said.
StanChart said India has potential to catch up with China and the developed world.
“Based on our forecasts, India’s nominal GDP could top $30 trillion by 2030, against its current level of around $1.7 trillion. By 2030, India could be 8.4 times bigger than it is today, while China is estimated to grow 4 times bigger and the EU and US 1.7 times,” it said.The banking giant said that within India there is often a hesitation to anticipate the ability of the economy to grow at a faster pace.
“Often, consensus views of India’s growth potential turn out to be too pessimistic. Thus, trend growth has often been assumed to be lower than that which materialises.Taking all of these factors together, our 9.3% projection for average Indian growth until 2030 may prove conservative. Trend growth, in my view, could even be nearer 12-13% per annum,” it said.By Super-Cycle, StanChart refers to the major periods of global economic growth.The first super-cycle took place from 1870 till the eve of the First World War in 1913 and saw the United States jumping from the fourth position to become the world’s largest economy.
