&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Close to G7, not far behind NATO: How big is the SCO economy and who are its biggest players?")
In July 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping told fellow Shanghai Cooperation Organisation leaders in Astana that “no mountain or ocean can distance people who have shared aspirations.” At the time, the words rang hollow. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped the summit, a move seen as a snub at the time. A year on, the picture has changed. As China hosts the SCO summit this Sunday (August 31), it expects a record turnout of leaders. Modi will return to China for the first time since 2018, driven partly by tensions with Washington after President Donald Trump slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, nudging New Delhi closer to Beijing and its Eurasian partners.
While, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is usually seen as a security club, its economic size is striking. Together, its ten members now make up nearly $26.8 trillion in GDP, around 22.5% of the world economy, based on IMF estimates for 2025. That puts the group close to the G7 in scale, and not far behind NATO, which represents about 30% of global GDP.
Who are the biggest players?
The SCO is dominated by its three largest members. China accounts for more than 70% of the bloc’s GDP, at over $19 trillion. India contributes $4.2 trillion, and Russia adds about $2.1 trillion. Together, they make up nearly nine-tenths of the total economy. The other members, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, together provide less than 15%.
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How does SCO compare with other blocs?
The SCO is big, but not the largest. The G7 represents about $30 trillion in GDP, while NATO members combined make nearly $36 trillion. The BRICS group, after its expansion, is the largest of all, with an expected $48 trillion, or almost 40% of global GDP. By comparison, the SCO looks smaller, but still powerful enough to be counted as a major bloc.
GDP and GNP: What do the figures show?
GDP measures output inside a country, while GNP tracks the income of its citizens. The differences are small for most SCO states. For example, China’s GNP is $18.9 trillion versus GDP of $19.4 trillion. India’s GNP is $3.6 trillion, slightly lower than its GDP. Iran’s GNP ($421B) is higher than its GDP ($341B), while Kazakhstan’s is lower. These numbers show that while the SCO is large, most of its economic power is still concentrated inside its borders.
