India's 2024 economic growth projection revised upwards by U.N. to nearly 7%

The United Nations has revised upwards India’s growth projections for 2024, with the country’s economy now forecast to expand by close to 7% this year, mainly driven by strong public investment and resilient private consumption.

The United Nations has revised upwards India’s growth projections for 2024, with the country’s economy now forecast to expand by close to 7% this year, mainly driven by strong public investment and resilient private consumption.

The World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2024, released Thursday, said, “India’s economy is forecast to expand by 6.9% in 2024 and 6.6% in 2025, mainly driven by strong public investment and resilient private consumption. Although subdued external demand will continue to weigh on merchandise export growth, pharmaceuticals and chemicals exports are expected to expand strongly.”

The 6.9% economic growth projections for India in the mid-year update is an upward revision from the 6.2% GDP forecast made by the U.N. in January this year. The U.N. World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2024 report that was launched in January had said that growth in India was projected to reach 6.2% in 2024, amid robust domestic demand and strong growth in the manufacturing and services sectors. The projection in January for India’s GDP growth for 2025 remains unchanged at 6.6% in the latest assessment of the economic situation.

The update said that consumer price inflation in India is projected to decelerate from 5.6% in 2023 to 4.5% in 2024, staying within the central bank’s two to six per cent medium-term target range. Similarly, inflation rates in other South Asian countries declined in 2023 and are expected to decelerate further in 2024, ranging from 2.2% in the Maldives to 33.6% in Iran. Despite some moderation, food prices remained elevated in the first quarter of 2024, especially in Bangladesh and India.

In India, labour market indicators have also improved amid robust growth and higher labour force participation, it said. India’s government remains committed to gradually reduce the fiscal deficit, while seeking to increase capital investment.

South Asia’s economic outlook is expected to remain strong, supported by a robust performance of India’s economy and a slight recovery in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Regional GDP is projected to grow by 5.8% in 2024 (an upward revision of 0.6 percentage points since January) and 5.7% in 2025, below the 6.2% recorded in 2023. However, still tight financial conditions and fiscal and external imbalances will continue to weigh on South Asia’s growth performance. In addition, potential increases in energy prices amid geopolitical tensions and the ongoing disruption in the Red Sea pose a risk to the regional economic outlook, it said.

The world economy is now forecast to grow by 2.7% in 2024 (an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the forecast in January) and 2.8% in 2025 (an increase of 0.1 percentage points).