S&P affirms India's sovereign rating at lowest investment grade of 'BBB-' for 14th year in a row

14 Jul 2021 Evaluate

S&P Global Ratings has affirmed India's sovereign rating at the lowest investment grade of 'BBB-' for the 14th year in a row with a stable outlook, and said that the country's strong external settings will act as a buffer against financial strains despite elevated government funding needs over the next 24 months. It stated that the sovereign credit ratings on India reflect the economy's above-average long-term real GDP growth, sound external profile, and evolving monetary settings.

It also said India's democratic institutions promote policy stability and compromise, and also underpin the ratings. These strengths are balanced against vulnerabilities stemming from the country's low per capita income and weak fiscal settings, including consistently elevated general government deficits and indebtedness. It has forecast economic activity in India to begin to normalise throughout the remainder of fiscal 2022, resulting in real GDP growth of about 9.5 per cent. It noted that a significant proportion of this rebound will be due to the very weak base in the prior fiscal year, when the economy contracted by a record 7.3 per cent.

S&P further said India's fiscal settings are weak, and deficits will remain elevated over the coming years even as the government undertakes some consolidation. The country's strong external settings help buffer the risks associated with the government's high deficits and debt stock, S&P said while affirming 'BBB-' long-term and 'A-3' short-term unsolicited foreign and local currency sovereign ratings on India.

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