Forbes has released its list of the world’s most powerful countries for 2025, with the United States (USA) retaining its top spot. China is second on the list. The ranking is based on a review of key factors such as leadership, economic influence, political power, global alliances, and military might. The study was prepared by Wharton School professor David Rebstein and researchers from BAV Group in collaboration with US News and World Report.
This year’s list is also significant because India, which used to be in the top 10 in previous years, has slipped to 12th place this time.
Top 10 Most Powerful Countries of 2025:
Here are the top 10 most powerful countries and some of their key figures in Forbes’ 2025 list.
| RANK | COUNTRY | GDP (USD Trillion) | PAPULATION |
| 1 | America | 30.34 | 334.9 million (2023) |
| 2 | China | 19.53 | 1.411 billion (2023) |
| 3 | Russia | 2.2 | 143.8 million (2023) |
| 4 | UK | 3.73 | 6.9 million  (2023) |
| 5 | Germany | 4.92 | 84.48 million (2023) |
| 6 | South Korea | 1.95 | 51.71 million (2023) |
| 7 | France | 3.28 | 68.17 million (2023) |
| 8 | Japan | 4.39 | 124.5 million (2023) |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 1.14 | 36.95 million (2023) |
| 10 | Israel | 0.55 | 9.757 million (2023) |
India’s position (World’s Strongest Economies):
India is ranked 12th on the list with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $3.55 trillion and a population of about 1.43 billion. Although India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, it failed to make it to the top 10 this year.
Likelihood of India entering the top 10 by 2030:
According to experts, India’s economy is growing rapidly and if technological advancements, infrastructure improvements, and international relations are strengthened, India can return to the top 10 by the year 2030.
Criteria for determining the ranking:
According to Forbes, the ranking model was developed by BAV Group, a unit of global marketing communications company WPP. Professor David Reibstein of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania led the research team. Five parameters were used to create this list, based on which countries were ranked in terms of leaders, economic influence, political influence, strong international alliances, and strong military.
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