India is already a major power by size, with the world’s biggest population, a top-six economy by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power, but it still has 15 gaps to close before it counts as a superpower in the full sense. This article takes the original 15 things India needs to fix and re-checks each one against 2025 and 2026 developments.
Welcome to Alux.com, the place where future billionaires come to get inspired. If you are not subscribed yet, you are missing out. Reading a long article can take a lot of time, so watch the video version:
| Measure | Latest figure |
|---|---|
| Population | Largest in the world, around 1.4 billion |
| Economy (nominal GDP) | Sixth-largest as of October 2026; third by PPP |
| GDP per capita rank | 151st nominal, 122nd PPP (2026) |
| Extreme poverty | 2.3% in 2022-23, down from 16.2% in 2011-12 (World Bank) |
| Environmental Performance Index 2024 | Ranked 176 of 180 |
| Median age | About 29.8 years (2024) |
1. Rethink what the word superpower means
This is not about bashing India. A country that wants peace and prosperity is worth supporting, and a stronger India would benefit the whole region. The classic idea of a superpower is the ability to exert power on a global scale, but that kind of development has often come at the cost of livelihoods, health and natural resources. The better question for India is whether it can build influence that does not copy that model.
2. Diplomacy and smooth international relations
India’s foreign policy has been a busy balancing act. In 2025 it fought a four-day conflict with Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack, and a ceasefire was agreed on 10 May 2025. The same year the United States put tariffs on Indian goods, partly over India’s purchases of Russian oil, and in February 2026 a trade deal lowered the US tariff on Indian goods to about 18 percent. On 27 January 2026, India and the European Union concluded a free trade agreement after nearly two decades of talks.
The lesson: India now has more options than before, but each option comes with a price. Whether it becomes a superpower depends on how well it keeps all of these relationships working at once.
3. Focus on the gains already accumulated
India has held together a country of roughly 2,000 castes, 8 major religions and dozens of languages since 1947. The fact that it works at all is an achievement. Acknowledging how far it has come helps it keep working on the divides that remain, which we get to next.
4. Practice equality
A divided society makes progress harder. When people come together on shared problems such as illiteracy, poverty and pollution, the whole country moves faster. Treating everyone equally regardless of religion, caste or gender is the foundation under every other item on this list, and it applies to every country, not only India.
5. Education
Literacy has improved, but the gap between urban and rural India is still wide. The Periodic Labour Force Survey for 2025 puts literacy at 89 percent in urban areas for people aged 7 and above, and 77.4 percent in rural areas. Among urban residents, 93.1 percent of men and 84.8 percent of women can read. India’s National Education Policy of 2020 is meant to change how schools teach, and the results will take years to show.
6. Healthcare
The old problems were access, affordability and staffing. The big policy answer is Ayushman Bharat, whose health insurance scheme aims to cover 10 crore households, or about 50 crore people, with up to ?5 lakh per family per year for treatment in empanelled hospitals. Coverage on paper does not equal care on the ground, and rural clinics remain the weak point.
7. Make laws work in practice
India has strong laws on paper. The recurring complaint is slow and uneven enforcement, with a court system long criticised for backlogs that create room for corruption. Faster courts and better enforcement would raise trust and lower the cost of doing business, which matters for both citizens and investors.
8. Prioritise basic necessities
The headline here has improved a lot. The World Bank says extreme poverty fell from 16.2 percent in 2011-12 to 2.3 percent in 2022-23, and about 171 million people were lifted out of it. The old McKinsey finding that 56 percent of Indians lacked the means for essential needs is from a different, broader measure, so we no longer cite it as current. A low extreme-poverty line is also not the same as a comfortable life, and housing, sanitation and nutrition still need work.
9. Build a stronger economy
India briefly passed Japan in April 2025, and by October 2026 sits sixth in the latest rankings, third by purchasing power. In the first quarter of the 2026-27 fiscal year the economy grew 7.8 percent. A new GDP series in February 2026 moved the base year to 2022-23, and the IMF said in October 2026 that the method follows international standards.
The gap that matters for the superpower question is income per person: 151st in the world on nominal GDP per capita in 2026. See our video on whether India can overtake the US and China as the strongest economy:
10. Execute strategies that benefit India first
India’s best path is to grow its own supply chains rather than only host other countries’ factories. The 2020 border clash with China, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead, showed how exposed it was to an unfriendly neighbour. The free trade deal with the EU and the US tariff deal are ways to spread the risk.
11. Use the large population as an advantage
India has been the most populous country in the world since the mid-2020s, with a median age of about 29.8 years compared with 40.2 in China. About 68 percent of Indians are of working age, which is the demographic dividend economists talk about. That window is open for a limited time, and it only pays off if there are jobs and skills to match.
12. Focus more on the environment
India ranked 176th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Environmental Performance Index. The government disputed the methodology, but air quality in Delhi and other northern cities is a real problem every winter. On the positive side, India produced about 24 percent of its electricity from renewables by February 2026, which made it the fourth-largest renewable producer in the world. For context on where pollution comes from, see our list of the 15 biggest polluting industries in the world.
13. Build on its digital strengths
This replaces the old item on free speech, which we no longer treat as a ranking criterion. India’s real world-leading advantage is digital public infrastructure. The UPI payments system handled 241.62 billion transactions worth ?314 trillion in the 2025-26 fiscal year, roughly a 13,000-fold jump in volume since it began. The digital economy is estimated at about 11.7 percent of GDP. Copying that success in health, education and justice is one of India’s best bets.
14. Embrace science and facts
Any rising power needs serious science. India has real wins to build on: in August 2023 Chandrayaan-3 landed near the lunar south pole, making ISRO the fourth space agency to land on the Moon, and India ranks 38th in the Global Innovation Index in 2026. It is also the world’s largest vaccine maker by volume and supplies roughly a fifth of the global demand for pharmaceuticals. The ask is simple: fund research, back it with evidence, and keep public debate rooted in data.
15. Keep industry a key focus
India is the world’s fifth-largest manufacturer, with 3.2 percent of global manufacturing output, and the services sector makes up about 55 percent of GDP. Mukesh Ambani, whom we featured in our video on his business lessons, still sits at the top of India’s rich list, with Gautam Adani second as of June 2026.
Question: Aluxers, what do you think India needs to fix to become a superpower? Let us know in the comments below.
FAQ
Is India a superpower in 2026?
Not yet in the full sense. India has the largest population and the third-largest economy by purchasing power, but it ranks sixth by nominal GDP and 151st by income per person.
What is India’s GDP rank in 2026?
India is the world’s sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP as of October 2026, and the third-largest by purchasing power parity.
What is India’s biggest challenge on the way to superpower status?
Income per person and basic services. Growth is strong at around 7 percent, but per-capita income, rural education and healthcare access still lag the leading economies.
Which trade deals did India sign in 2025 and 2026?
India concluded a free trade agreement with the European Union on 27 January 2026, and the United States announced a trade deal in February 2026 that cut the tariff on Indian goods to about 18 percent.
How has poverty changed in India?
The World Bank says extreme poverty fell from 16.2 percent in 2011-12 to 2.3 percent in 2022-23.
What are India’s strengths for the future?
A young population with a median age near 30, a large digital payments system in UPI, a growing manufacturing base, and a fast-rising renewable power sector.
How we put this list together
We kept the original 15 themes and re-checked each against government statistics, international organisation reports and 2025 and 2026 news. Items we could not verify, or that were opinion rather than evidence, were removed or rewritten.
Last updated: October 2026.
