India’s Silent Surge: How the Asia Power Index 2025 Marks a New Era for a Rising Global Force

The 2025 Asia Power Index marks a defining moment in India’s modern history. For the first time, India has crossed the 40-point threshold on the Lowy Institute’s comprehensive power scale, officially placing the nation in the category of “major powers.” With this, India now stands third among 27 Asian countries, positioned just behind the United States and China. This shift is far more than a statistical climb — it signals a decisive departure from the narrative of India as a merely potential power toward its firm establishment as a central pillar in Asia’s strategic and economic framework.

The Index evaluates countries across military capability, defence networks, economic strength, diplomatic influence, resilience, cultural impact, and future resources. India’s upward movement in 2025 demonstrates progress across nearly all of these domains, giving global observers fresh reason to treat India not as an emerging actor but as a force that is actively shaping the continent’s geopolitical landscape.

PM Modi during his Independence Day speech (Image Source: Indian Express) | OpIndia

The Engines Behind India’s Rise

India’s elevation in the 2025 ranking is rooted in a combination of economic confidence, expanding global investment, defence modernisation, and a growing cultural footprint. Over the past few years, the country has experienced robust economic recovery, supported by infrastructure expansion, rising investment inflows, and global supply-chain diversification away from China. These developments have strengthened India’s economic capability and improved its position in trade and investment relationships across Asia.

Parallel to economic momentum is India’s enhanced military posture. The success of Operation Sindoor in 2025 served as an affirmation of India’s growing readiness and modernisation efforts. The defence sector has benefited from increased focus on indigenisation, technological upgrading, and strategic maritime development, allowing India to project greater security influence across the Indo-Pacific.

Equally significant is India’s surge in cultural and soft power. A youthful population, a widespread and influential diaspora, rising global interest in Indian films, music, and digital innovation, and the international adoption of platforms like UPI have magnified India’s cultural visibility. This has helped propel the country to one of the highest gains in cultural influence in the entire Index.

A Shift in Asia’s Power Geometry

India’s entry into the major-power category introduces a new axis into Asia’s strategic landscape. Until now, the region’s power equation has largely revolved around the contrasting strengths of the United States and China. India’s ascent creates a third strategic pole — one capable of balancing influence, shaping regional partnerships, and adding weight to Indo-Pacific dialogues on trade, security, and global governance.

For global investors and multinational industries, India’s rise is equally significant. As businesses diversify supply chains and seek stability amid geopolitical uncertainties, India’s combination of market size, skilled workforce, democratic governance, and improving physical and digital infrastructure makes it a natural hub for future manufacturing and technology ecosystems.

Diplomatically too, India’s voice now carries greater resonance. With expanding ties across Europe, East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and with growing participation in global groupings such as the Quad, I2U2, and BRICS, India’s ability to influence regional and international outcomes is steadily increasing.

The Challenges That Lie Ahead

Despite its upward trajectory, India’s journey is far from complete. The Asia Power Index identifies a persistent “power gap” — the difference between India’s resource potential and the actual influence it converts from those resources. This suggests that India, while strong, is still underperforming relative to its capacity. Defence networks remain a particular area of concern, with India ranking only 11th in strategic alliances and partnerships.

To sustain its position, India will need to maintain economic acceleration, deepen global trade relationships, strengthen alliances, and continue modernising its defence architecture. Domestic socio-economic development, including employment, social equity, innovation, and infrastructure, will play an essential role in translating potential into lasting power. Global uncertainties — from regional conflicts to economic turbulence — also pose challenges that will test India’s diplomatic and strategic agility.

The MGMM Outlook

India’s steady rise in the Asia Power Index 2025 reflects a deeper transformation that has been unfolding across governance, national confidence, and strategic ambition. For the first time, the country has crossed the 40-point mark and entered the league of “major powers,” signaling that India is no longer viewed merely as a potential force but as an active shaper of Asia’s geopolitical future. From economic resilience and expanding global investment to defence modernisation and a powerful cultural footprint, India’s growth has been multidimensional. The success of military operations like Sindoor 2025, the diversification of global supply chains toward India, and the global adoption of digital innovations such as UPI all strengthen the reality that India’s influence today is not accidental — it is built on consistent reform, strong leadership, and a long-term strategic vision.

At the same time, India’s increasing weight on the global stage is reshaping regional power dynamics, introducing a third major pole alongside the US and China. This makes India an indispensable partner in Indo-Pacific security, global diplomacy, and emerging strategic alliances. Investors and governments alike now view India as a reliable hub of stability, talent, and technological capability. Yet, even with this momentum, the Index highlights that India still has vast untapped potential, especially in defence networks and alliance-building. In our view, this blend of significant progress and large unrealised capacity is exactly what makes India’s trajectory compelling — the nation is rising not through noise, but through steady, structural gains. And if this pace continues, India will soon move from being a major Asian power to a decisive global force.

(Sources: OpIndia, NDTV, Times of India)