BRICS now bigger than G7, accounts for 40 percent of world GDP: Putin

Putin said BRICS nations now account for more than 40 percent of global GDP, compared with 29 percent for the G7

September 11, 2026

Putin told the BRICS Business Forum in Delhi that the bloc now accounts for more than 40 percent of global GDP, compared with 29 percent for the G7, over the last five years

Putin says the bloc now produces over 40% of global GDP against the G7’s 29%, and has driven more than half of world growth over the past five years

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his address at the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi on Friday to draw a sharp contrast between the bloc and the West’s leading economies, saying BRICS countries now account for more than 40 percent of global GDP, compared with just 29 percent for the G7. He framed the gap as evidence of a deep, structural shift underway in the global economy.

Half The World’s Growth

Putin went further, pointing to the last five years of data to argue that BRICS nations have driven more than half of global economic growth in that period, while the G7’s share came to just 18 percent. As he put it, the world keeps changing, and the last five years prove exactly that — BRICS pulling ahead while the G7 lags behind.

A Pointed Remark On Rivalry

The Russian president didn’t stop at economics. He noted that Western competitors are watching BRICS closely and actively working to claw back their edge, adding that the resulting rivalry has, at times, turned “ugly.” He also referenced the more than 30,000 sanctions currently imposed on Russia, framing the broader global realignment as a necessary, if difficult, transformation.

A Pitch For A New Investment Platform

Putin used the forum to float a concrete proposal: setting up a new investment platform through the New Development Bank to draw in private-sector funding for BRICS economies. He described BRICS nations as sitting on “great, dynamic, vibrant domestic markets,” and said member states are ready to cooperate as equals.

Context: A Summit Opening On High Notes

The remarks came hours after Putin’s bilateral meeting with PM Modi, and a day ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit’s formal opening at Bharat Mandapam on September 12-13. Putin has made similar GDP comparisons before — at the St. Petersburg forum in June and at BRICS’s 2025 summit — but Friday’s remarks landed with added weight, delivered on Indian soil as New Delhi opens its chairship year.

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