China Dominates BRICS Economy, But India Grew Faster Over the Past Five Years

China continues to account for the largest share of BRICS’ economic strength, but India has recorded faster growth over the past five years, according to an analysis of aggregate gross national income.

The analysis shows that BRICS’ share of global income increased from 21.9% in 2011 to 28.9% in 2025. However, excluding China, the combined share of the bloc’s other 10 members declined from 11.9% to 11.5%. China alone contributed 72% of the increase in BRICS’ income during that period.

China’s share of BRICS income also climbed sharply, from 45.6% in 2011 to 60.2% in 2025. Among the five original BRICS members, its share rose from 54.1% to 68.9%.

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The more recent five-year period presents a different picture. Using World Bank GNI per capita data under the Atlas method and multiplying it by population, India’s aggregate GNI increased from around $2.67 trillion in 2020 to approximately $4.04 trillion in 2025, a rise of about 52%.

China’s aggregate GNI increased from roughly $15.15 trillion to $20.02 trillion over the same period, representing growth of around 32%. India therefore grew about 20 percentage points faster on this measure.

However, China remained nearly five times larger than India in 2025. Its GNI increased by about $4.86 trillion during the five-year period, compared with around $1.37 trillion for India.

India’s aggregate GNI was approximately 18% of China’s in 2020 and rose to about 20% in 2025, indicating only a modest narrowing of the gap.

Trade figures also underline China’s continued dominance. BRICS’ share of global goods exports rose from 23% in 2011 to 25% in 2023, but the share excluding China fell from 12.4% to 10.1%. China accounted for 94% of the increase in BRICS goods exports during that period.

India’s share of global goods exports rose from 1.71% to 1.88%, showing that its faster recent income growth has yet to translate into a comparable increase in global trade weight.