A claim is going viral on social media site X(Twitter) stating that Pakistan’s GDP growth exceeded India’s GDP growth in the year 2021. The viral claim has drawn a massive reaction from users as they are fiercely sharing this claim and applauding Pakistan’s exceptional management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking to X(Twitter), X account by the name of Economy of Pakistan wrote: “Do you know that 2021 was the only year since 2001 where Pakistan’s GDP growth exceeded India’s? This was largely due to Pakistan’s exceptional management of the COVID-19 pandemic”

The archive link can be seen here

Furthermore, we found that several users made similar claims on X(Twitter).

Fact-Check

The DFRAC team searched some Keywords in the context of the above viral claim and found some media reports during this process.

India’s GDP growth rate in 2021-2022

News website Livemint published a news article on October 2, 2023, with the headline: “India to clock GDP growth of 6.5 pc in FY24, can easily maintain this for next few yrs: Former Niti Aayog VC Rajiv Kumar“. In this article, Livemint mentioned:” Former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that to match the demand for new jobs for the young population, the Indian economy needs to grow beyond 8 percent. Further, he stated: “My growth projection (of India’s GDP growth in FY 2023-24) is 6.5 percent. “And I think we can easily maintain this (growth) over the next few years,” he told PTI in an interview. 

In 2022-23, India’s GDP grew at 7.2 per cent which was lower than the 9.1 per cent clocked in 2021-22. Reserve Bank of India’s projection suggests India’s GDP growth rate to be at 6.5 percent in the current financial year.

According to an article by Forbes, India’s GDP growth rate was 9.05% in 2021.

Pakistan’s GDP growth rate in 2021-2022

In addition to that, media Reports by Reuters and The Economic Times from May 25, 2023 mentioned that GDP growth of Pakistan for FY2021-22 was revised to 6.10%, up from 5.97%, and the final figure for FY2020-21 was 5.77%, up from 5.74%, national accounts committee said.

Moreover, according to the data shown in the Graph of World Bank Pakistan’s GDP growth did not exceed India’s GDP growth in the year 2021.

Conclusion

It is clear from DFRAC’s Fact-Check that the viral claim stating Pakistan’s GDP growth exceeded India’s GDP growth in the year 2021 is misleading as Pakistan’s GDP growth rate did not exceed India’s GDP growth rate in the year 2021.

Hence, the claim of social media users is false