Putin – 2025 Economic Growth to be in Russia, China, India and Saudi Arabia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has forecast that the economies of Russia, China, India, and Saudi Arabia will show strong positive growth over the coming years, while it will also be advanced in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Speaking at a BRICS media event, he stated “Growth, positive growth will be in such strong countries as China, India, positive growth will be in Russia, Saudi Arabia, while countries of Southeast Asia and Africa will demonstrate advanced growth. Forming of new centers of development is a sign of the times, Putin said “This development, in the opinion of experts I trust, to whose opinion I listen, it will objectively go in the first instance in BRICS member-countries; the so-called Global South, Southeast Asia, and Africa.”

Country / Region	2024 GDP Growth	2025
Russia	3.9%	1.9%*
China	4.8%	4.5%
India	7.0%	7.2%
Saudi Arabia	3.8%	4.6%
ASEAN	4.8%	4.3%
African Union	4.1%	4.4%
European Union	1.0%	1.2%
United States	2.7%	1.5%

*Note analysts have consistently marked Russian forecasts down. They have been revised upwards from the original projections every year since 2020.

There are a number of economic drivers affecting these projections. Firstly, Russian energy exports have increased and are available at discounted rates to ‘friendly countries’ – meaning all of the above except for the EU and the United States. These lower-than-expected energy overheads are driving industrial growth in these regions, while higher costs in the EU and West are depressing their industrial output. This situation is likely to remain constant until sanctions upon Russia are removed.

Other drivers include consumer growth, which is particularly noticeable in China and India, although the former has shown some slowdown due to an aging population and market maturity. It should be noticed that China’s growth at over 4% is also being achieved amongst a population five times larger than the United States.

India is still benefiting from its middle-income population boom, while Africa is just beginning to realise the emergence of its own developing middle-income class.

In contrast, the economies of the European Union and the United States appear to have peaked, and having politically manipulated themselves with having to absorb higher energy costs, in addition to an aging and less productive population – look set for a decade or more of lower growth expectations.