Has India beaten China in GDP growth after Covid?

In the three years since 2021, India has remained the fastest growing large economy. Per IMF data, it grew at 9. 1% in 2021, 6. 8% in 2022, and is expected to grow at 5. 9% in 2023. Is this an ‘achievement’ or a quirk of data? Here’s what’s happened.

When Covid brought the world to a halt in 2020, India’s economy was among the worst hit. Canada, Japan, Germany, Brazil and the US all shrank, but less than India. The UK, Italy and France fared worse. However, China managed to grow modestly even in 2020. The shrinking of India’s GDP reduced the base for calculation, and so its growth figures for subsequent years have become inflated.