No offense but in what non commodity industries is India a powerhouse? Here in the US I never see things made in India, and was just yesterday wondering how India compares to China. I could do some research, but I'm wondering why you think of India as a powerhouse?
Being an economic powerhouse doesn't mean being visible on shop shelves.
In Europe you very rarely see consumer goods labelled "Made in USA" (although we will frequently see products that are "Made in India"), yet the US is still an economic powerhouse because its strengths are in services, tech, finance, aerospace, and defence rather than mass-market manufacturing.
India is similar with most of its global impact through IT, software, generic pharmaceuticals, and space tech. Its the 4th largest economy in the world, and among the fastest growing - potentially surpassing Germany for 3rd place by 2030.
India is also the 2nd largest exporter of food in the world, and among the largest textile exporters (clothing, etc) - but for some reason you wanted to exclude commodities.
A country of 1.4 billion maybe potentially surpassing a country of 80 million strongly implies it's not quite a powerhouse yet.
I'm hopeful for India's future and they're on the right track, but currently, they're punching well below their weight. Germany is punching well above theirs. But investment from companies like Apple shows that India has what it needs to become the next China (or at the very least, next Vietnam). Nigeria seems to lack similar investment.
India is not a country that needs to “punch above its weight”. It is already a heavyweight. With one of the highest absolute GDPs in the world (third by PPP, fourth by nominal terms), it is a global leader across multiple sectors: IT, industry, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and renewable energy. Its domestic market of more than 1.4 billion people gives it unmatched scale, representing nearly a quarter of the world’s population. India’s policy choices and growth trajectory directly influence global markets. That scale, diversity, and systemic impact are what make it a true economic powerhouse. Saying otherwise is naive, and seems a common rhetoric from a certain demographic...
There are many countries that view India as a leader for various reasons - economically, culturally, technologically and/or geopolitically. You really should go and read about India if you are truly this uninformed.
Is it safe to say North Korea is a world leader? If your method is anything to go by, yes. Does North Korea dominate India in its world leadership? Quite likely!
GDP per capita doesn’t make a powerhouse, otherwise Monaco would be the most powerful country in the world, the US would be lucky to be in the top 10, and China would be considered somewhat average. Next?
> India is the world's largest provider of generic medicines by volume, with a 20% share of total global pharmaceutical exports. It is also the largest vaccine supplier in the world by volume, accounting for more than 60% of all vaccines manufactured in the world.
