India and China will be more powerful than the US by 2030: Study

New Delhi, Dec 11: A US intelligence community in a new report released on Monday says by 2030, a surging India, along with China, will overpower long-reigning U.S. and E.U. It said the two Asian economies will dominate the world amid the gradual decline of the west.The report suggests that the middle income people will increase three times and the number of people living in poverty will halve.However, it also warned that the growing millions enriched middle class people may heavily burden resources, including food and water, unless innovation and peace allow rising demand to be met.The three countries that will produce the maximum number of people in the middle class will come from China, India and Brazil, says the report, published by the National Intelligence Council. The report by the U.S. government's National Intelligence Council adds that the growth in the global middle class will accelerate poverty reduction substantially and will also improve individual empowerment.“For the first time, a majority of the world's population will not be impoverished, and the middle classes will be the most important social and economic sector in the vast majority of countries around the world. Demand for consumer goods, including cars, (will) rise sharply with the growth of the middle class,” it said.It also said that a majority of the new middle class will live in cities by 2030, with most of them connected by technology, being protected by advanced care. The study analysed about where the current trends will take the world in the next 15 to 20 years, thus helping policymakers plan for the best and worst possible futures to come. While the world may see a decline in poverty levels, it is estimated that food, water and energy will be scarce.'Nearly half of the world's population will live in areas experiencing severe water stress,' it said. Africa, the Middle East, China and India, will be at risk of food and water shortages.At the same time, the report warns of catastrophic effect of possible 'Black Swans,' extraordinary events that can change the course of history. These include a severe pandemic and more rapid climate change that could make it hard to feed the world's population.