Since 1991, the economy has been growing roughly 7 percent per year. GDP per capita trails all major Asian countries with the exception of Nepal. Infrastructure in India is extremely weak. While weak infrastructure is an opportunity for companies that provide such services, it is an obstacle for those companies that rely on or expect an established infrastructure. Infrastructure trails all but Bangladesh, China and Indonesia.
Roads are poor and ports have experienced serious delays.
India's new Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation, financed by a 2 percent import duty surcharge, is promoting infrastructure projects together with the private sector. India has a large population base that at 950 million people, is second only to China's. Half of the world's poor people live in India, more than inhabit the entire continent of Africa. Some of this poverty stems from a highly agrarian economy. Dick Moxon, University of Washington professor and director of the Center for International Business Education and Research, sees bureaucracy as India's biggest problem.