Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has weighed in on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest rankings, which has placed India ahead of the United States in global growth. Sharing the IMF’s January 2026 projections on X, Musk posted the data and remarked, “balance of power is changing”.
The chart highlights the top 10 contributors to global real GDP growth in 2026, underscoring a shift in the drivers of the global economy.
Recent projections show that China and India will together drive nearly half of the world’s economic growth this year, accounting for 43.6 per cent. India alone is expected to contribute 17 per cent, highlighting its growing role in the global economy. In contrast, the United States is forecast to add just under 10 per cent to global growth.
Musk made these comments at a time when global markets are facing uncertainty, with sharp fluctuations triggered by US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies against multiple countries.
Top 10 contributors to global GDP growth
| Rank | Country | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 26.6% |
| 2 | India | 17.0% |
| 3 | United States | 9.9% |
| 4 | Indonesia | 3.8% |
| 5 | Türkiye | 2.2% |
| 6 | Nigeria | 1.5% |
| 7 | Brazil | 1.5% |
| 8 | Vietnam | 1.6% |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 1.7% |
| 10 | Germany | 0.9% |
IMF and global GDP growth rankings
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a global organisation that monitors the world economy, provides financial support and offers policy advice to member countries. It ranks countries by GDP growth using data on production, consumption, investment and trade. GDP growth reflects how fast a country’s economy is expanding compared to the previous year.
The IMF publishes these rankings annually in its World Economic Outlook, highlighting the fastest and slowest growing economies and helping policymakers, investors and analysts understand global economic trends.
