India is seen as having the best growth story in the world in the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Chief Economists’ Outlook. The September 2026 survey points out the rising confidence of economists regarding India, despite the weakening of growth forecasts in China and the continued subdued growth prospects in Europe. 98% of the respondents anticipate moderate or stronger growth in India in the coming 12 months, and 74% predict strong or very strong growth.
WEF Survey Reveals Rise in Confidence on India
This is a marked contrast from what was seen back in May when 52% of economists were forecasting strong or very strong growth in India within the year.
This figure has since risen to 74%, which means that India has the best outlook in terms of growth among all the geographies surveyed.
The positive outlook was largely due to resilient domestic demand sustaining economic activity amid uncertainities in the rest of the world, according to WEF.
It had earlier raised its forecast of India’s FY2026-27 GDP growth to 6.7%, but cautioned that high energy costs posed an outlook risk.
India Outshines China As China’s Growth Weakens
Recent evaluation brings to light the growing gap between China and India.
Currently, about one-third of economists are projecting poor growth projections for China. This is a downgrade from the earlier evaluation compared to the strong improvement in sentiment in case of India.
Europe remains the region which registers the worst regional outlook. Though there was an improvement in evaluation from May, still 61% of people are forecasting poor to very poor growth projections in Europe.
United States, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia have also witnessed strong growth evaluations and rank themselves among the most positive regions for chief economists.
Global Economic Sentiment is Improving
Finally, the survey signals a positive shift in global economic sentiment as well.
In September, 56% of chief economists believed that the economic outlook would be either stable or improving in the coming year. It is an amazing change compared to the figures recorded in May, when only 11% thought that the economic outlook would be stable or improving while 89% believed that it would worsen.
Still, there are risks. Indeed, geopolitical conflicts were named by 97% of respondents as a possible factor that might cause uncertainty in the following year.
Domestic Demand Provides Boost to Growth Prospects of India
India’s good showing in the survey is notwithstanding the ongoing concerns over rising energy prices and geopolitics. Rising energy prices continue to be especially relevant for India since the country is a large importer of crude oil.
Nevertheless, domestic demand continues to be seen as a key factor supporting India’s growth by many economists.
This WEF survey was undertaken prior to the latest data on Indian GDP which indicated that the Indian economy grew by 7.8% during the quarter ended June 30.
Growth Prospects in India vs. Business Environment
The poll also highlights a crucial difference between the future growth prospects and the favorable business environment in India.
Though India secured the top spot in the growth prospects category, its performance in terms of the business environment declined to fourth place from second in the May poll.
Only 40% of the respondents listed India among the top three choices for multinationals, down from 56% last time.
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