India at 79: How five nations that gained independence around the same time fared

When India woke up to life and freedom on August 15, 1947, a few other countries were also about to begin their journeys as independent nations, marking the start of a new era across Asia and beyond.

Pakistan became independent a day before India, while Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Israel followed in 1948.

Nearly eight decades later, their economic trajectories present a study in contrasts, with India emerging as one of the world's largest economies while the other countries have followed markedly different paths.

India's economy, estimated at around $360 billion in constant international dollars around the time of independence, has expanded to nearly $4 trillion in current US-dollar terms, according to historical estimates and the latest World Bank data.

Its GDP per capita has also risen from roughly $1,000 in constant international dollars around independence to about $2,700 in current US dollars today.

The comparison, however, needs to be read with caution as the historical estimates and current figures are measured in different units and are not directly comparable in nominal dollar terms.

Among the five countries, Israel has recorded the strongest rise in real GDP per capita over the period, while India has emerged as the clear leader in terms of overall economic scale.

India is now the world's sixth-largest economy, with a GDP of around $3.96 trillion, according to the latest World Bank data.

Pakistan, which began its independent journey alongside India in 1947, has an economy of around $400 billion today, while Sri Lanka's GDP is around $110 billion.

Myanmar, which became independent from British rule in January 1948, has an economy of around $63 billion.

Israel, established as an independent state in May 1948, has grown into an economy of more than $500 billion, despite having a population far smaller than the other countries in the comparison.

GDP per capita presents a different picture.

Sri Lanka and Israel have substantially higher per-capita incomes than India, while Pakistan and Myanmar remain below India.

The comparison also shows why total GDP and GDP per capita need to be considered together.

India's enormous population has helped it become a major global economy, but its per-capita income remains much lower than that of Israel and Sri Lanka.

The long-term growth comparison is based on historical estimates from the Maddison Project Database, while current GDP and GDP-per-capita figures are from the World Bank.

The Maddison estimates are expressed in constant international dollars and are intended to facilitate comparisons of economic performance over long periods. They are not directly comparable with today's nominal US-dollar figures.