Mumbai: The National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India has emerged as the world''s third fastest-growing bourse in terms of growth in number of listed companies, outpacing global majors like NYSE, Nasdaq and the London Stock Exchange.

NSE recorded a 15 per cent rise in the number of listed companies at 1,244 during the one-year period ended April 2007 while the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) consolidated its position as the one with the maximum number of listed companies in the world.

Among the fastest-growing bourses, Poland''s Warsaw Stock Exchange recorded 23.3 per cent growth and the Malta Stock Exchange grew at 15.4 per cent, NSE stood third with a growth rate 15 per cent in the number of listed companies, data compiled by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) showed.

The actual gains of Warsaw and Malta Stock Exchanges, however, have been less than India''s NSE. Their 23.3 and 15.4 per cent growth rates were primarily due to a lower base.

In terms of number of companies, Warsaw and Malta bourses added just 56 and two firms respectively, the WFE data showed.

NSE added 160 companies to its listed total of 1,082 at the end of April 2006. Out of these, more than 60 companies have joined the bourse this year itself.

NSE has seen a ten-fold surge in number of listed companies in nearly 13 years from about 100 companies in 1994-95, after it was recognised as a stock exchange under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act in April 1993.