“2024 Global Diplomacy Index” released by the Australia-based Lowy Institute has brought out that India, which “historically underinvested in the size of its diplomatic network relative to its demographic and economic weight,” has evolved to now become among the fastest growing diplomatic networks in the world.

Global Diplomacy Index 2024

Why In News

• “2024 Global Diplomacy Index” released by the Australia-based Lowy Institute has brought out that India, which “historically underinvested in the size of its diplomatic network relative to its demographic and economic weight,” has evolved to now become among the fastest growing diplomatic networks in the world.
• With a total of 194 diplomatic posts, India has jumped to the 11th rank in the Index — ahead of Canada, Spain, and South Korea. It has opened as many as 11 new posts since just 2021, most of them in Africa.

G7 Summit

• If diplomacy happens to be one of the most important levers of global influence, then by attending the just concluded 50th G-7 summit in Italy as a special invitee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have further strengthened the perceptions that India under his leadership is increasingly becoming an active global player.

• A special invitation to the Indian Prime Minister by hosts of the G-7 summits in recent years reflects the recognition of India’s increasing importance by the seven leading nations of the developed world.
• According to Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, India’s regular participation at the G7 Summit clearly points to increasing recognition and contribution of the efforts that New Delhi has been consistently making to resolve global challenges, including those of peace, security, development, and environment preservation. Undeniably, the pace and scale of Indian diplomatic activity has picked up consistently over the last 10 years under Modi.

About The Index

• Global Diplomacy Index by the Lowy Institute is an attempt to measure and compare diplomatic networks worldwide to understand the foreign ties that influence geopolitics.
• From their 2024 update, we visualize the top 25 countries with the most embassies worldwide. Data for this graphic is current up to November 2023, and does not reflect diplomatic consequences from the Israel-Hamas war.

• China leads with 173 embassies around the world, eclipsing the U.S. (168) by just five more foreign posts.
• Former colonial powers, France (158) and the UK (156) rank third and fourth respectively. Japan (152) rounds out the top five.
• For example, China has a larger diplomatic presence in Africa, East Asia, and the Pacific, while the U.S. leads in the Americas, Europe, and South Asia. This reflects the two superpowers’ trade and economic ties as well.

• Meanwhile, Türkiye and India have grown their diplomatic networks the most in recent years. Interestingly, both countries prioritized Africa in their new outreach. In fact, India is a key export destination for many African countries.
• Russia meanwhile had to close 14 foreign missions since it invaded Ukraine in 2022, slipping two ranking spots between 2017 and 2022.
• India plans to add some 200 employees to its “short-staffed” diplomatic corps over the next five years in a mark of its expanding global ambitions, but even as observers welcome the move, concerns linger about the calibre of such staff members to navigate the evolving geopolitical landscape.

• The decision to restructure the foreign service represents a substantial revamp in nearly two decades and comes as New Delhi grapples with diplomatic challenges, including strained relations with Canada over a separatist leader’s murder, and the death penalty imposed on eight Indian nationals by Qatar.
• Middle powers rising: Türkiye and India have rapidly expanded their diplomatic networks in a more multipolar world. And here Türkiye is well ahead of India. In fact, Türkiye’s rank is at 3, overtaking traditional diplomatic heavyweights Japan and France. Operating 252 posts, it has steadily expanded its network in the Middle East and Africa.
• India ranks 11th globally, though it has done very well in recent years to overtake many established global powers. India’s diplomatic footprint is most pronounced in Africa, Asia, and Europe, and it is represented in every country in Asia, Eastern Africa, and the Indian Ocean Region.
• Asia in focus: Japan, with the 4th rank, is a global diplomatic heavyweight, while Indonesia leads its diplomatic network among Southeast Asian countries.
• The price of war: Russia’s war in Ukraine has come at a heavy cost to its global diplomatic reach; its present rank has come down to 6th.
• Hosts with the most: European cities top the list of the busiest diplomatic capitals (France at number 5, Italy, the U.K., Germany, and Italy with 7th, 8th, and 9th positions, respectively.

Conclusion

• India’s aspiration for a significant role in the evolving global order is reflected by the term “Vishwaguru”, a phrase coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advisers to hail him as the guiding force of the world. Nevertheless, the country is still missing the diplomatic resources, whether staff or overseas missions, to act as a backbone to buttress such lofty ambitions.
• While India is the world’s most populous nation, with also the biggest diaspora, it does not rank among the top 10 nations in the number of diplomatic missions worldwide.