This index provides a comprehensive measure of national power in the Indo-Pacific region, highlighting India’s emergence as a major power.
📝 Index Fundamentals
Aspect
Detail
Index Name
Asia Power Index 2025 (7th Edition).
Publisher
Lowy Institute (Australia-based think tank).
Scope
Ranks 27 countries and territories across Asia based on their ability to influence their external environment.
Core Definition of Power
The capacity of a state to direct or influence the behaviour of other states and the course of international events.
Key Classification
Countries are classified based on a Comprehensive Power score (out of 100): Superpowers(≥70 points), Major Powers(≥ 40 points), Middle Powers (≥ 𝟏𝟎 points)
📊 Comprehensive Power Ranking (Top 5)
Rank
Country
Comprehensive Power Score (Out of 100)
Power Status
1st
🇺🇸 United States
80.5 – 81.7
Superpower
2nd
🇨🇳 China
73.7
Superpower
3rd
🇮🇳 India
40.0
Major Power
4th
🇯🇵 Japan
38.8
Middle Power
5th
🇷🇺 Russia
32.1
Middle Power
🇮🇳 India’s Key Takeaways
Major Power Status: India crossed the crucial 40-point threshold for the first time, officially classifying it as a Major Power in Asia (up from Middle Power status in 2024 with a score of 39.1).
Score Gain: India recorded the largest absolute gain (+0.9 to +2.0 points, depending on the source) in overall score among all 27 countries.
Overtaking Japan: India secured 3rd rank in Economic Capability, overtaking Japan for the first time.
Power Gap: India’s influence still lags behind its available resources, resulting in a negative Power Gap score (meaning it exerts less influence than expected).
⚙️ Eight Thematic Measures (Pillars of Power)
The index is a weighted average across eight measures (131 indicators):
Resources (What countries have)
Influence (What countries do with what they have)
India’s Rank in 2025 (Strongest/Weakest)
1. Economic Capability
5. Economic Relationships
3rd (Economic Capability, Future Resources)
2. Military Capability
6. Defence Networks
9th (Economic Relationships, up one spot)
3. Resilience
7. Diplomatic Influence
11th (Weakest: Defence Networks)
4. Future Resources
8. Cultural Influence
⬆️ Areas of Improvement for India
Economic Capability (Rank 3): Driven by strong post-pandemic GDP growth and increased inward investment (overtaking China as the second-most favoured destination after the US).3
Future Resources (Rank 3): Reinforced by a large and young demographic and growing R&D base.
Cultural Influence: Registered the greatest gains (+2.8) among all measures.
Economic Relationships (Rank 9): Improved its ranking for the first time since the index’s inception, reflecting enhanced trade and investment ties.
⬇️ Areas of Weakness for India
Defence Networks (Rank 11): This is India’s weakest measure, reflecting limited formal military alliances and security arrangements compared to countries like the Philippines and Thailand.
Diplomatic Influence: While improving, it saw a slight decline in score this year.
