India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, however, many, including Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, are now aiming for a jump in the list of countries by GDP per capita in 2025 or in coming years.
On his X handle, he wrote, “When I was in business school, the idea of India overtaking Japan in GDP felt like a distant, almost audacious dream. Today, that milestone is no longer theoretical – we’ve become the world’s fourth largest economy.
It’s no small achievement.”
However, he added, “But as we celebrate, we must stay dissatisfied.
Because India’s next leap must be in per capita GDP, not just overtaking Germany…”
India is poised to displace Germany from third rank
NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) B.V.R. Subrahmanyam has said that India is now poised to displace Germany from the third rank in the next 2.5 to 3 years.
In 2025, the list of countries by GDP is headed by the United States, with India in fourth position. China holds second place.
Following is the list of the top 10 countries by GDP that includes India:
| Country name | GDP (in trillion) |
| United States | USD 30.507 |
| China | USD 19.231 |
| Germany | USD 4.744 |
| India | USD 4.187 |
| Japan | USD 4.186 |
| United Kingdom | USD 3.839 |
| France | USD 3.211 |
| Italy | USD 2.422 |
| Canada | USD 2.225 |
| Brazil | USD 2.125 |
“We are the fourth largest economy as I speak. We are a $4 trillion economy as I speak, and this is not my data. This is IMF data. India today is larger than Japan,” said Subrahmanyam at a press conference of the 10th NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting.
“It’s only the United States, China, and Germany which are larger, and if we stick to, you know, what is being planned, what is being thought through, it’s a matter of another 2, 2.5 to 3 years; we would become the third largest economy,” Subrahmanyam pointed out.
India’s position in list of countries by GDP per capita in 2025
While GDP serves as a measure of a country’s economic size, it fails to capture the amount of money earned per person in a nation.
It is GDP per capita that reflects the average income earned per person in a country.
Following is the list of the top 10 richest countries in the world by GDP per capita in 2025:
| Country name | GDP per capita (in USD) |
| Luxembourg | 140.94 thousand |
| Ireland | 108.92 thousand |
| Switzerland | 104.9 thousand |
| Singapore | 92.93 thousand |
| Iceland | 90.28 thousand |
| Norway | 89.69 thousand |
| United States | 89.11 thousand |
| Macao SAR | 76.31 thousand |
| Denmark | 74.97 thousand |
| Qatar | 71.65 thousand |
According to IMF data, while India ranks as the fourth-largest economy by total GDP, it stands at 140th place in terms of wealth per person.
Earlier, Goldman Sachs predicted that India will become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075. It also stated that India will surpass the United States.
The prediction indicates that India’s GDP per capita should rise significantly in 2025 and coming years and it will improve its position in future list of the world’s countries by GDP per capita.
