In November 2025, Australian think tank, Lowy Institute released the 7th edition of Asia Power Index. As per 2025 rankings, India secured the 3rd position in Asia region, with overall power score of 40 out of 100, surpassing the threshold for classification as a ‘Major Power’ status.
- Last year, India was ranked among the ‘Middle Powers’, with an overall score of 38.1.
- The United States of America (USA) (1st)and China (2nd)retained their position as the only ‘Superpowers’ in Asia, with an overall score of 80.4 points and 73.7 points, respectively.
Exam Hints:
- What? Release of Asia Power Index 2025
- Edition: 7th
- Released by: Lowy Institute (Australia)
- Countries Assessed: 27 countries/territories across Asia
- Top 3 Countries: USA (1st, 80.4), China (2nd, 73.7), India (3rd, 40.0)
- India’s Classification: Major Power (score ≥ 40)
- India’s Previous Rank (2024): Middle Power (score 38.1)
- Key Drivers for India: Economic Capability, Military Capability, Geopolitical Relevance, Foreign Investment
About Asia Power Index 2025:
Overview: The index annually measures resources and influence to evaluate state power in Asia, since 2018.
Countries Assessed: This latest edition of Asia Power Index assesses the power of 27 countries and territories across Asia.
Key Indicators & Thematic Measures: Countries are ranked based on 131 indicators across 8 thematic measures such as: military capability and defence networks, economic capability and relationships, diplomatic and cultural influence, as well as resilience and future resources.
Classification: The index has classified countries into 4 main power categories based on their overall score: Superpowers (more than equal to 70 points); Major Powers (more than equal to 40 points); Middle Powers (more than equal to 10); and Minor Powers (less than 10 points)
Top 5 Countries in Asia Power Index 2025:
| Rank | Country Name | Overall Score (Out of 100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The United States of America (USA) | 80.4 |
| 2 | China | 73.7 |
| 3 | India | 40.0 |
| 4 | Japan | 38.8 |
| 5 | Russia | 32.1 |
Key Findings:
Middle Power Countries: Japan (4th), Russia (5th), Australia (6th), South Korea (7th), Singapore (8th), Indonesia (9th), Malaysia (10th), Thailand (11th), Vietnam (12th), New Zealand (13th), Taiwan (14th), the Philippines (15th), Pakistan (16th), North Korea (17th), and Brunei (18th).
Minor Powers: Papua New Guinea (27th)ranked lowest in the index with an overall score of 4.6 points; followed by Timor-Leste (ranked at 26th spot, 4.8 points); Nepal (ranked at 25th spot, 5.0 points); Mongolia (ranked at 24th spot, 6.0 points) and Myanmar (ranked at 23rd spot, 7.1 points).
Top 3 Gainers: As per the index, North Korea (+1.5), Vietnam (+1.2) and China (+1.0) were the top 3 gainers.
Top 3 Losses: The USA registered the greatest loss (-1.2) in the 2025 index; followed by Bangladesh (-0.4), and Taiwan (-0.3).
India-Specific:
Key Drivers: The overall improvement in India’s ranking was mainly driven by its economic and military capabilities which have increased in the 2025 index.
- It further mentioned that India’s economy has continued to grow strongly and made small gains in terms of its geopolitical relevance, defined in terms of global leverage, connectivity and technology, while the country’s military capability has also improved steadily.
Foreign Investment: As per the index, India overtook China as the 2nd most attractive destination for foreign investment after the USA, an indicator used to capture 10-year cumulative flows.
Improvement in Thematic Measures: India has improved its ranking in “economic capability “ by overtaking Japan to secure 3rd position (27.1 points).
- For the 1st time, India’s economic relationships ranking improved by one place to 9th position (19.7 points).
Remain Unchanged: India retained 3rd position in “future resources” measure with a score of 55.0 points. Similarly, India continued to be ranked at 4th spot in ‘Diplomatic Influence’ (70.8 points).
Weakest Area: The index highlighted India’s weakest area is ‘Defence Networks’, dropped by 2 places to 11th spot.
- India was overtaken by the Philippines and Thailand in this category.
India’s Performance Across 8 Thematic Measures:
| Indicators | India’s Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Capability | 3 | 27.1 |
| Military Capability | 4 | 48.0 |
| Resilience | 4 | 55.5 |
| Future Resources | 3 | 55 |
| Economic Relationships | 9 | 19.7 |
| Diplomatic Influence | 4 | 70.8 |
| Cultural Influence | 4 | 41.5 |
| Defence Networks | 11 | 16.4 |
About Lowy Institute:
Executive Director(ED) – Dr Michael Fullilove AM
Headquarters- Sydney, Australia
Founded in- 2003
