India and Pakistan at 78: New Delhi shines, as Islamabad struggles

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In August 1947, the Indian subcontinent won its independence from the British, and two nations were born — India and Pakistan. As we mark the 78th year of independence, how have these countries progressed? How do they stack up against one another?
As India and Pakistan both mark their 78 years of Independence, it will be a good time to compare and analyse where they stand. File image/Reuters
In August 1947, India became a free and independent nation following the fall of the British Raj. It also marked the birth of Pakistan as the British split the nation into two.
As both nations celebrate their 78th year of Independence — India marks Independence Day on August 15, while Pakistan does it a day earlier on August 14 — it would be interesting to see just how far the two countries have come in the years.
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How do the two nations stack up when compared economically, militarily, socially and other such parameters?
The economics of it all
Before the British arrived in India, the nation was among the richest in the world. According to historian Angus Maddison, India's share of world GDP was 24.4 per cent in 1700 before the British rule.
However, the British Raj plundered and looted India's wealth — Oxfam in a 2025 report noted that the United Kingdom extracted $64.82 trillion from India over a century of colonialism between 1765 and 1900. In fact, when they left, Maddison notes that India's share of world GDP had fallen to a mere 4.2 per cent by 1950.
When they finally left, India and Pakistan inherited similar economies, marked by neglect and under-investment from their coloniser. Data shows that the economies were among the poorest in the world.
However, independence almost immediately led to strong growth and fuelled significant gains in education, health care and other areas of development.
Today, on every economic parameter, India outperforms Pakistan. Representational image/AI
And interestingly, it was Pakistan that saw faster growth rates during the first four decades or so, while India lagged behind. Between the years of 1961 and 1980, Pakistan's saw a growth rate of about six per cent, compared to four per cent for India.
Many experts note that this was because Pakistan benefited from substantial trade from its East Pakistan region. Additionally, it received billions of dollars of military aid from the United States, as well as donations from other oil-rich Muslim countries in West Asia.
It was in the 1990s that a change could be seen. It eliminated the licence-permit-quota system that gave the bureaucracy immense power. This unleashed a period of fast-paced economic growth, with the GDP growing at an average of seven-eight per cent annually. Meanwhile, Pakistan began to stumble.
Today, India is becoming a global economic powerhouse. In June, it became the world's fourth-largest economy and is expected to overtake Germany to be the third-largest by 2028. The World Bank has also noted that India GDP is close to $3.88 trillion, which is more than 10 times the size of Pakistan's economy at a mere $0.37 trillion.
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Meanwhile, Pakistan's economy struggles; it is saddled with crippling debt and a faltering economy. The neighbouring country is heavily dependent on the foreign aid and loans — it has been the recipient of repeated bailout packages from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In fact, the 2024 IMF programme in which it approved a $7 billion loan was the country's 24th.
Today, on every economic parameter, India outperforms Pakistan. Think per capita income in purchasing power: in 2023, Pakistan's per capita income, at 5,439 PPP dollars, was nearly half of India's.
Even when it comes to trade, India performs better — India's overall trade, exports, and imports, was 17 times that of Pakistan's in 2023.
Another clear divergent economic factor between India and Pakistan is foreign reserves. Currently, India's forex reserves exceed $688 billion, while Pakistan's have barely crossed $15 billion.
Flexing military might
Since Independence, both countries have been building up their militaries to fend off any threats. Additionally, both countries have gone to war four times, and there have been numerous cross-border skirmishes and escalations. In fact, the most recent was in May when India launched Operation Sindoor as retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 innocents lost their lives.
Defence experts note that the two countries differ substantially in numbers. According to Global Firepower's 2025 military strength rankings, India is the fourth-strongest military power in the world, and Pakistan is ranked as the 12th strongest.
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Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading defence and armaments think tank, also notes that India is the fifth-largest spender on military. In 2024, it spent $86 billion on its military, or 2.3 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). Meanwhile, Pakistan spent $10.2 billion, or 2.7 per cent of its GDP, on the military in 2024.
According to Global Firepower's 2025 military strength rankings, India is the fourth-strongest military power in the world, and Pakistan is ranked as the 12th strongest. Representational image/AFP
When it comes to sheer manpower — India is far ahead of Pakistan. India fields approximately 1.46 million active troops with an additional 1.15 million in reserves, alongside 2.5 million paramilitary personnel. In contrast, Pakistan maintains 654,000 active soldiers, around 500,000 paramilitary forces, and according to another estimate, 291,000 paramilitary police.
India also holds a significant advantage in mechanised warfare platforms. Its ground force arsenal includes 4,201 tanks, notably the T-90 Bhishma and domestically developed Arjun series, as well as over 148,000 armoured vehicles — roughly three times Pakistan's count.
Even in the skies, India holds the edge; India's Air Force is larger and better equipped across most parameters. It operates a total of 2,229 aircraft, including 513 fighter jets such as the Su-30MKI, Rafale and indigenous Tejas fighters. Its fleet also comprises 899 helicopters, including attack and utility variants, and six aerial refuelling tankers.
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Pakistan, by contrast, operates 1,399 aircraft, which include 328 fighter jets — primarily the F-16 and JF-17 Thunder — and 373 helicopters. Pakistan has four aerial tankers.
Both countries are also nuclear-armed. India has 180 warheads compared to Pakistan's 170 warheads. India's policy follows a declared 'No First Use' doctrine, while Pakistan retains the right to initiate a nuclear response if deemed necessary.
Dance of democracy
Following independence, both countries — India and Pakistan — adopted democracy with New Delhi holding its first ever national election between October 25, 1951 and February 21, 1952.
In comparison, Pakistan held its first election much later — in 1970 following the country's defeat against India in the 1965 war, urban unrest in West Pakistan, and the rise of Bengali nationalism in East Pakistan.
Today, India is celebrated as the world's biggest democracy. In the 2024 general election, there were over 945 million people who were eligible to cast their vote — roughly one in eight of the global population.
An art school student gets her face painted with the Indian flag and a message reading 'Vote for the Nation' to encourage people to vote in India's general elections, in Mumbai. File image/AFP
However, Pakistan struggles with it. The neighbouring nation saw democracy suspended between 1958 and 1969, 1977 and1988 and again between 1998 and 2008 altogether. During these periods, political power was concentrated within the military. Even during periods of civilian rule, the Pakistan army and its powerful Inter-Intelligence-Services have retained the right to set the country's foreign and security policy.
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Even today, rumours of a possible military coup swirl as Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir elevated himself to the position of Field Marshal and since then been building closer ties to American President Donald Trump.
Women's rights and safety
Gender inequality continues to remain a big issue in India and Pakistan. However, when it comes to a comparison, India is leaps ahead. In the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report, India ranks a 131 — a dip from the previous year — whereas Pakistan ranked 148.
Gender-based violence is another aspect where India and Pakistan still have miles to go. According to a report titled, 'Mapping Gender-Based Violence in Pakistan' by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), in 2024, over 24,000 cases of abductions and kidnappings were reported across Pakistan, ranking as one of the highest reported kinds of gender-based violence. On average, 67 cases were reported daily. But the conviction rate in such cases was a dismal 0.1 per cent.
People carry signs against to condemn violence against women and girls, during a protest in Karachi. File image/Reuters
Moreover, as per the SSDO report, over 2,000 cases of domestic violence, more than 500 cases of honor killings and over 5,000 cases of rape were reported across Pakistan in 2024, with conviction rates below two per cent for each of these crimes.
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And what about India? According to official data, nearly 45,000 rape cases were investigated in 2022. But among the cases that went to trial, there were convictions in just over 5,000 — a rate of 27.4 per cent, lower than for cases of murder, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
In 2023, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security ranked India 128th out of 177 countries in its annual index on women's inclusion, justice and security. On this same list, Pakistan was ranked 158.
Let the games continue
India and Pakistan are rivals not just off the field but also on the field. In fact, India-Pakistan sports rivalries are unlike any other. Their clashes when it comes to any sport, especially cricket, turn into the ultimate sporting spectacle. The last time India and Pakistan squared off in a cricket match — back in February during the Champions Trophy — it set new television viewership records. The match in Dubai, was watched by an unprecedented 20.6 crore viewers on TV, making it the second most-watched cricket match in Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) history, excluding World Cup matches.
But when it comes to which is the better team, India's Men in Blue outperform the Pakistani side. While India is adjudged as the best ODI team as per the ICC rankings, Pakistan is at the fifth position.
India's Axar Patel celebrates with Kuldeep Yadav after running out Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq during the India v Pakistan match during the ICC Men's Champions Trophy. File image/Reuters
Apart from cricket too, India outperforms Pakistan in the world of sports. At the Olympics, India has been able to secure 41 has medals with Norman Pritchard opening India's account in Paris 1900 with a dual silver. As for Pakistan, the total stands 11 with four golds, three silvers, and four bronzes at the marquee Games.
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All in all, it seems that the twins — India and Pakistan — have charted vastly different political and economic trajectories. While both countries started with similar colonial legacies, today India stands as the world's largest functional democracy and one of the fastest-growing major economies. In contrast, Pakistan remains a land where the military's writ runs, and the nation itself continues to struggle with recurring crises.
With inputs from agencies