Mumbai, July 11 (IANS): On the occasion of the World Population Day on Saturday, megastar Amitabh Bachchan has "thanked" the world for addressing the world's second largest populated country India as an "emerging economy".

He also said that no other country in the world has emerged so fast after being ruled for so many years by a foreign power.

"Consumerism shadows those that once expressed apprehensions for a nation with 1.25 billion people being its biggest drawback...for the economists that guide and predict the state of the economics of the world, no longer refer to a 3rd world nation as 3rd...they have denoted a progressive phrase - "EMERGING ECONOMY," the 72-year-old wrote on his blog.

"So India is no longer 3rd world, its an emerging economy... Thank you world for this consideration and for the acceptance of a fact that was always true for the nation - there are very few, indeed none, among the Independent nations, who having lived and survived foreign rule, colonisation, and suppression from other invading powers, that have shown the kind of 'emergence’ as has India,” he added.

Amitabh, who has been active in the entertainment industry for over four decades, has represented India at various international platforms. He made his Hollywood debut with 2013 film “The Great Gatsby” opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan.

On the career front, the “Piku” star will next be seen in “Wazir” along with multifaceted Faran Akhtar.