India's robust economic performance in the face of weak recovery of the global economy has catapulted it into the league of the top ten manufacturers of the world in 2010, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) said on Thursday in Vienna.

Strong growth

In its International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics, 2011 , the UN body said India together with other leading developing economies such as Brazil and China demonstrated strong performance in economic growth in 2010. The manufacturing value added (MVA) of all the three countries grew by more than 10 per cent in 2010 at constant US dollars of 2000. As a result of the high growth rate logged by developing countries on the whole, it said, their share in world manufacturing output too has reached 32 per cent compared with 20 per cent a decade ago.

World manufacturing is showing first signs of recovery from the recent financial crisis, the yearbook notes adding that world MVA grew by 5.3 per cent in 2010. Since 2006, it was the first year when industrialised countries had a growing trend of industrial production.

The MVA of industrialised countries grew by 3.4 per cent in 2010. However, developing countries were the major force of world industrial growth as their MVA in 2010 grew by a handsome 9.4 per cent.

Leading sectors

India tops developing countries (China excluded) in production of textiles, chemical products, basic metals, general machinery and equipment and electrical machinery. India has also overtaken Brazil in the production of motor vehicles and now ranks second among developing countries after Mexico, even as the latter is a member of the developed country club, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

In contrast to India's lead in some industries, its competitors such as Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines are ahead of India in the production of electronic goods such as computers and office equipment, radio, television and other communication equipment, UNIDO said.

>geeyes@thehindu.co.in

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