India recently achieved a historic milestone, surpassing Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy with a nominal GDP of $4.19 trillion, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) data. In purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, GDP grew from $6.7 trillion to $17 trillion, maintaining its third global rank. This ascent from the tenth-largest economy in 2014, with a GDP of $2.04 trillion, is a testament to India’s relentless progress, backed by transformative policy reforms and sustained economic resilience. India’s rise should inspire pride, optimism, and a sense of affirmation about its future trajectory.

While we celebrate this milestone, some persistent sceptics downplay it by cherry-picking data about the nominal GDP per capita of $2,880 in 2025, which is well below that of Japan ($33,900), Germany ($56,960), China ($13,000), or the US ($86,000). India, with 1.43 billion people, is significantly different from Japan (122 million) and Germany (84 million) in both scale and historical timeline.

A large population naturally dilutes per capita metrics, but GDP growth is the engine that lifts incomes over time. This is also a disingenuous shifting of goalposts, as such comparisons conveniently ignore historical context, population scale, and the timeline of development.

The United States achieved the $4 trillion GDP milestone in 1987, with its per capita income already approximately $17,000. The US’s trajectory had been well defined by decades of accumulated wealth, advanced infrastructure, technological dominance, and capitalist growth models. Similarly, when China crossed the $4 trillion threshold in 2008, its per capita........

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