India's GDP grew by 7 year-on-year between July and September 20236%, with a growth rate of 71%。This data not only exceeded the expectations of many economic analysts, but also made India once again one of the fastest-growing countries among the world's largest economies. However, Japan** has disputed India's GDP growth rate, arguing that its development is too dependent on the development of large companies, resulting in the concentration of resources and momentum in a few large cities, resulting in an uneven economic structure. In addition, Japan** has questioned the lack of employment in India, especially for women. However, these doubts lack professionalism and rigor in my opinion.
For most developing countries, uneven distribution of resources is normal. Rural areas and small and medium-sized cities tend to have much lower development dynamics than large cities. Therefore, India's economic development is too dependent on a few large cities to be a reason to question its growth rate. Moreover, whether it is a developed country or a developing country, the leading development of some regions and industries will often play a leading role in the national economic growth, which is a normal phenomenon and does not mean that economic growth is false.
Japan** also questioned India's under-employment population, especially the limited employment opportunities for women. However, it is worth discussing that Japan itself suffers from a shortage of job opportunities. According to statistics, about 40 percent of women in Japanese households do not participate in the workforce. This is because men have always been highly valued in Japanese society and are seen as a major force in family and socio-economic development. Most women face various constraints in the field of employment and have no choice but to become housewives. As a result, Japan** lacks objectivity in its own social situation when questioning the insufficient number of employed people in India.
One important issue that Japan** did not mention when questioning India's GDP was the change in statistical rules. Data published by India's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that India publishes data under two different statistical rules. According to the new statistical standards, India's economic growth rate reached 76%, while according to the old statistical rules, the growth rate was 74%。This change in statistical methods may lead to discrepancies in the data and should therefore be questioned in an appropriate manner.
In addition, for some industry-specific statistics, such as agricultural production and the real estate market, changes in statistical methods may also lead to data errors. For example, in agriculture, according to the methodology of final production statistics, if there is a disaster such as drought or flood that results in the failure of the crop, then the value added will be zero. However, if the consumption method is used for statistics, the labor input and the consumption of farm fertilizer during the period of rice cultivation will be included in the GDP. Changes to these statistical rules can lead to data inaccuracies, so we should consider these factors when questioning India's GDP.
To sum up, Japan**'s questioning of India's GDP is not professional and rigorous. It is normal for India's economic growth to be dependent on the development of a few large cities, while underemployment and changes in statistical rules may have an impact on the data. Therefore, we need to look at India's economic development from a more objective and integrated perspective, rather than questioning its sustainability and authenticity one-sidedly.