Everything you need to know about the 2019 India Economic Summit

Oct 1, 2019

Workers watch the final concrete slab of the first phase of construction being placed of at the construction site of the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai, April 28, 2009. The first phase of construction of Bandra-Worli sea link, an eight-lane, cable-stayed bridge above the Arbian sea was completed on Tuesday and it will be opened to commuters on later next month. The 4.7 km bridge which links Worli and Bandra areas of the city is expected to ease out traffic in the congested Mumbai. REUTERS/Arko Datta (INDIA BUSINESS TRANSPORT) - GM1E54T0I4C01

Building India's future. Image: REUTERS/Arko Datta

Our Impact

What's the World Economic Forum doing to accelerate action on India?

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how India is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

India

This article is part of: India Economic Summit

India is the world’s fastest-expanding major economy. With annual growth expected to be more than 7% in the coming years.

India’s annual growth is expected to be more than 7% a year.

Image: Statista

But alongside that opportunity comes a range of challenges: India is still home to 176 million poor people, and digital growth is hampered by inequality, with many women in rural areas lacking access to, or awareness of, the internet.

India lags behind other growing economies when it comes to women in the workforce.

Image: IMF

Inclusion and technology are topping the agenda at the World Economic Forum’s 33rd India Economic Summit in New Delhi on 3-4 October 2019. This year’s theme is Innovating for India: Strengthening South Asia, Impacting the World.

Have you read?

More than 800 leaders from 40 countries will take part in the event, with co-chairs including Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Singapore.

The summit also brings together leading cultural figures, technology pioneers and scientists to help accelerate the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, such as artificial intelligence and drones, and boost the growth potential of the South Asian region. There will be particular focus on education and skills; gender parity; and India’s environmental reforms.

From India to the world

According to the World Bank, India’s ability to achieve rapid sustainable development is inextricably linked to global progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Discover

What is the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2019?

Under the theme, Innovating for India: Strengthening South Asia, Impacting the World, the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2019 will convene key leaders from government, the private sector, academia and civil society on 3-4 October to accelerate the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and boost the region’s dynamism.

Hosted in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the aim of the Summit is to enhance global growth by promoting collaboration among South Asian countries and the ASEAN economic bloc.

The meeting will address strategic issues of regional significance under four thematic pillars:

• The New Geopolitical Reality – Geopolitical shifts and the complexity of our global system

• The New Social System – Inequality, inclusive growth, health and nutrition

• The New Ecological System – Environment, pollution and climate change

• The New Technological System – The Fourth Industrial Revolution, science, innovation and entrepreneurship

Discover a few ways the Forum is creating impact across India.

Read our guide to how to follow #ies19 across our digital channels. We encourage followers to post, share, and retweet by tagging our accounts and by using our official hashtag.

Become a Member or Partner to participate in the Forum's year-round annual and regional events. Contact us now.

This year’s Summit will discuss deeper collaboration between South Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – a group that includes Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia, countries well advanced on the path to digitalization.

There will also be sessions on the changing geopolitical landscape and climate change.

According to a Moody’s report on the economic implications of global warming, India’s climate and demographics make it particularly susceptible to climate change. The country is also engaged in a geopolitical shift; building new relationships with both China and the United States.

Since 2016, the World Economic Forum has been supporting India’s move towards smart cities, recommending both business environment and administrative reforms to help city authorities navigate a path to a more integrated digital future.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.