India's economy grew at a six-quarter high of 8.2 percent in the July-September period, significantly exceeding forecasts and cementing its position as the world's fastest-growing major economy despite facing steep U.S. tariffs. The growth figure, released Friday by the National Statistics Office, marks a sharp acceleration from 5.6 percent in the same quarter last year and beats the 7.8 percent expansion recorded in the previous quarter
The strong performance surprised economists who had predicted 7.3 percent growth, while the Reserve Bank of India had estimated 7 percent for the quarter. Manufacturing output surged 9.1 percent and construction expanded 7.2 percent, driving the secondary sector to 8.1 percent growth. The services sector grew 9.2 percent, with financial, real estate and professional services posting a robust 10.2 percent increase