BRICS Has The Numbers, PM Modi Wants Action: '50% Of Humanity, 40% Of Global GDP'

New Delhi: BRICS now represents half of humanity and 40 per cent of the global economy - and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the grouping to prove that its growing economic weight can translate into real trade, investment and business opportunities.

Addressing the BRICS Business Forum on Friday, PM Modi highlighted the bloc’s expanding global footprint and said its combined GDP had grown about 4.5 times since its formation in 2006, compared with around 2.5 times for the global economy.

“50% of humanity and 40% of global GDP. Naturally, BRICS matters!” PM Modi said in a post on X after his address.

50% of humanity and 40% of global GDP.

Naturally, BRICS matters!

At the BRICS Business Forum, highlighted India’s approach of ‘Make in India, Innovate with India, Scale for the World.’

My other message…let’s make the next decade about action. Let us:

Remove the top 10 trade… pic.twitter.com/eua1rZ97qw

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 11, 2026

The Prime Minister called for reducing trade barriers and strengthening business-to-business links within the grouping, pitching India’s approach of building “economic bridges” at a time when trade barriers are rising globally.

PM Modi’s 10-100-1,000 Formula For BRICS

PM Modi called upon the BRICS Business Council to move beyond discussions and set measurable targets for the grouping.

“Can we support 100 BRICS startups every year to scale in other BRICS markets? Can we develop 1,000 new partnerships among our businesses? On all these benchmarks, we have to review our progress every year. Let us turn the ambition of BRICS into action and its collective strength into global solutions. Let BRICS move forward and take the world forward as well,” PM Modi said in his address at the Brics Business Forum.

Later in his post on X, PM Modi also laid out a three-point action agenda: remove the top 10 trade barriers, help 100 BRICS startups scale across member markets every year and build 1,000 new business partnerships.

He said India’s approach within BRICS was to “reduce barriers and increase opportunities for businesses”, while highlighting the country’s infrastructure expansion and growing capabilities in strategic sectors such as shipbuilding, semiconductors, quantum technology, critical minerals and biotechnology.

PM Modi’s Big Pitch: Keep Global Trade Moving

PM Modi also stressed the importance of secure sea lanes and open supply routes for the smooth functioning of global trade, amid disruptions caused by geopolitical conflicts.

“Global trade can move forward only when sea lanes are secure, supply routes are open, and seafarers are safe. And, therefore, Bharat is a firm supporter of freedom of navigation and the safety of seafarers,” PM Modi said.

The remark comes against the backdrop of disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and growing concerns around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, both critical maritime routes for global trade and energy supplies.

PM Modi also showcased India’s economic and innovation ecosystem, pointing to more than two lakh startups and over 120 unicorns. He said Indian startups were using AI to transform education and healthcare, working on green hydrogen and batteries, and pushing new frontiers in defence and space.

“Make in India, Innovate with India, Scale for the World”, PM Modi said, positioning India as a manufacturing, technology and innovation hub for global markets.

The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and its potential to support deeper digital cooperation among BRICS economies.

Times Now Digital | OPINION

PM Modi's 10-100-1,000 formula gives BRICS something it has long lacked: metrics. Half of humanity and 40% of GDP mean little without measurable outcomes — startups scaled, partnerships built, barriers removed. By tying rhetoric to targets and pushing UPI-style digital cooperation, India is nudging BRICS from a talking shop toward an accountable economic bloc.