Signal China and India put at 35% of world population and 25% of world GDP

Summary

The Megatrends 2040 report states that China and India will represent 35% of the world's population and 25% of global GDP. It adds that the two countries will account for a growing share of world production, opening the way for a global shift of economic power. The projection appears in its analysis of the middle class, which is expected to reach about 5 billion people by 2030, two-thirds of them in the Asia-Pacific region. The report cautions, however, that individual purchasing power will remain higher in the West than among consumers in China and India. The figures reinforce its broader view that power is moving toward the East and the South.