Asia Power Index 2021

• 16 Dec 2021

Recently, Sydney-based Lowy Institute released the Asia Power Index 2021. It is being published annually since 2018.

About the Index: The index measures resources and influence to rank the relative power of states in the Indo-Pacific.

It ranks 26 countries and territories.

Criteria: The index evaluates international power in Asia through 128 indicators across the following eight thematic measures:

• Resources: Economic capability (17.5%), Military capability (17.5%), Resilience (10%), and Future resources (10%).
• Influence: Economic relationships (15%), Defense networks (10%), Diplomatic influence (10%), and Cultural influence (10%).

Key Highlights

• As per the index, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven down the power of Asian giants like China and India in the Indo-Pacific region and has weakened their capacity to shape the external environment.
• The US managed to expand its power through better diplomacy and retained its position as the most influential nation in the region.
• India is the fourth most powerful country in the region after the US, Japan and China.
• India saw a loss of ranking in critical parameters like diplomatic influence and economic relationships in the last one year.
• India also lagged in economic diplomacy, dropping one place and finishing eighth behind Thailand.
• Japan and India - the two nations with the most potential to contribute to a regional multipolar order - lost more ground in 2021 than China.