Asia Power Index 2025

Source: News on Air

Context:

In the 2025 Asia Power Index (API) published by the Australia-based Lowy Institute, India has been elevated from a “middle power” to a “major power”, ranking 3rd overall behind the United States and China. This milestone reflects India’s growing economic strength, military capability, and regional influence.

Key Highlights:

• Ranking & Major Power Status: India crosses the API-defined threshold for “major power” in 2025.
• Power Growth: Both India and China have improved across multiple metrics, but a significant gap remains between them.
• Scope of Assessment: The 7th edition of API evaluates 27 Asian countries/territories across 131 indicators in 8 thematic measures:
  1. Military Capability & Defence Networks
  2. Economic Capability & Relationships
  3. Diplomatic Influence
  4. Cultural Influence
  5. Resilience
  6. Future Resources
     7–8. Other indicators assessing technology, governance, and soft power contributions

Strategic Implications

• India’s rise to a major power reflects growing economic clout, military strength, and diplomatic influence.
• The ranking enhances India’s geopolitical leverage in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Despite improvements, India still faces the challenge of converting capability into sustained influence at regional and global levels.