Read A Complete List of Asia Power Index 2025

Introduction

Every year, the Lowy Institute releases the Asia Power Index (API) — a comprehensive assessment of how influence and capability are distributed among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The 2025 edition, released in late November, evaluates 27 countries and territories across 131 indicators grouped into eight power dimensions: economic capability, military capability, resilience, future resources, economic relationships, defence networks, diplomatic influence, and cultural influence.

For aspirants preparing through CivilsTap, this index is of great significance — especially under International Relations, Geography and Current Affairs. Check your resources under CivilsTap Study Material for detailed conceptual notes.

Asia Power Index 2025 – Top Rankings & Complete List Overview

Here is a summary of the top 5 countries based on overall power score in 2025:

Rank	Country / Territory	Score (out of 100)	Remarks
1	United States	~ 81.7	Retains top spot — “Superpower” status
2	China	~ 73.7	Maintains 2nd place — expanding economic & military clout
3	India	40.0	For the first time crosses 40 — gains “Major Power” status
4	Japan	~ 38–39	Strong economy & resilience, but weaker in military/ defence networks
5	Russia	~ 32–33	Gains due to defence-economic partnerships, though economic influence limited

Note: Full interactive list of all 27 countries with detailed scores across dimensions can be accessed on the official API page.

What Did Asia Power Index 2025 Reveal — Key Takeaways

Major Shifts & Trends

The 2025 Index confirms a three-tier power structure in Asia:
- Tier 1: Superpowers — US, China
- Tier 2: Emerging “Major Power” — India
- Tier 3: Middle powers such as Japan, Russia, Australia, and some Southeast Asian nations.
For the first time, India’s overall score crossed the 40-point threshold, officially classifying it as a major power.
India’s gains came from improvements in economic capability, military strength, and future resources — driven by strong post-COVID growth, defence modernization (including results of recent operations) and rising global investments.
Despite capability gains, India — like several others — still lags behind in defence networks and regional influence metrics.

What The Index Measures — 8 Power Dimensions

Dimension	Elements Assessed
Economic Capability	GDP size, industrial base, economic growth potential
Military Capability	Defence spending, manpower, equipment, strategic reach
Resilience	Internal stability, resource security, demographic advantages
Future Resources	Demographics, R&D capacity, human capital & innovation trends
Economic Relationships	Trade partnerships, investment inflows, global supply-chain integration
Defence Networks	Alliances, collaborative military agreements, geo-strategic alignments
Diplomatic Influence	Bilateral/multilateral diplomacy, global outreach, soft power diplomacy
Cultural Influence	Cultural exports, diaspora influence, media & soft-power metrics across Asia

Why Asia Power Index Matters — Especially for Students & Aspirants

Geopolitical Insight: Helps understand shifting power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region — vital for GS-II/GS-III in exams.
Trend Analysis: Highlights which countries are rising/falling and why (economy, military, diplomacy) — useful for descriptive answers or essays.
Policy Relevance: Reflects how strategic events (e.g., military operations, economic reforms) impact a country’s standing — like how Operation Sindoor helped boost India’s score.
Comparative Perspective: Offers a ready framework to compare countries across multiple dimensions besides just economy or army strength.

If you are preparing through CivilsTap, integrate this topic with your revision notes from Courses and Current Affairs section — it often forms a high-yield area in modern geopolitics and international relations.

What This Means for India & Future Outlook

India’s rise to “Major Power” status signals increasing global relevance — an important fact for current affairs and international relations sections in exams.
However, the power gap with China remains large (China’s 73.7 vs India’s 40.0). Converting capability into influence will require sustained diplomatic engagements, strengthening of alliances, and soft-power strategies.
Regional players like Japan, Russia, and Australia — though lower — remain influential due to specialized strengths (technology, alliances, defence networks), showing that power in Asia will remain multi-polar and complex.

For a structured timeline of such geopolitical shifts, you can download ready-made charts and summary PDFs from CivilsTap Free Downloads — handy for quick revision before exams.

How to Use Asia Power Index 2025 for Exam Prep

Add latest API data to your International Relations & Global Order notes under CivilsTap Study Material.
Link it with recent events — like defence operations, trade treaties and diplomacy — to build analytical answers.
Practice MCQs or descriptive questions based on API’s eight dimensions using Daily Quiz for better retention.
Use Courses for deeper conceptual clarity on geopolitics, Indo-Pacific dynamics, and global power shifts.

Conclusion

The Asia Power Index 2025 offers a comprehensive snapshot of power distribution across Asia — measuring not only economic or military strength, but future potential, resilience, diplomacy and cultural influence.

For any student or civil services aspirant, especially those using CivilsTap as their study base, this index is a goldmine — offering data-driven insight into the evolving geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region.

Keep revising the full list, understand key shifts, and link them with current global events to build strong, informed answers for exams.