In 2024, the United States had the largest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of just under 29 trillion U.S. dollars. China had the second largest economy, at around 18.5 trillion U.S. dollars. Recent adjustments in the list have seen Germany's economy overtake Japan's to become the third-largest in the world in 2023, while Brazil's economy moved ahead of Italy's in 2024. Global gross domestic product Global gross domestic product amounts to almost 110 trillion U.S. dollars, with the United States making up more than one-quarter of this figure alone. The 12 largest economies in the world include all Group of Seven (G7) economies, as well as the four largest BRICS economies. The U.S. has consistently had the world's largest economy since the interwar period, and while previous reports estimated it would be overtaken by China in the 2020s, more recent projections estimate the U.S. economy will remain the largest by a considerable margin going into the 2030s.The gross domestic product of a country is calculated by taking spending and trade into account, to show how much the country can produce in a certain amount of time, usually per year. It represents the value of all goods and services produced during that year. Those countries considered to have emerging or developing economies account for almost 60 percent of global gross domestic product, while advanced economies make up over 40 percent.

Gross domestic product ranking table.

In 1938, the year before the Second World War, the United States had, by far, the largest economy in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). The five Allied Great Powers that emerged victorious from the war, along with the three Axis Tripartite Pact countries that were ultimately defeated made up the eight largest independent economies in 1938.

When values are converted into 1990 international dollars, the U.S. GDP was over 800 billion dollars in 1938, which was more than double that of the second largest economy, the Soviet Union. Even the combined economies of the UK, its dominions, and colonies had a value of just over 680 billion 1990 dollars, showing that the United States had established itself as the world's leading economy during the interwar period (despite the Great Depression).

Interestingly, the British and Dutch colonies had larger combined GDPs than their respective metropoles, which was a key motivator for the Japanese invasion of these territories in East Asia during the war. Trade with neutral and non-belligerent countries also contributed greatly to the economic development of Allied and Axis powers throughout the war; for example, natural resources from Latin America were essential to the American war effort, while German manufacturing was often dependent on Swedish iron supplies.

In 2025, Luxembourg was the country with the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Of the 20 listed countries, 13 are in Europe and four are in Asia, alongside the U.S., Canada, and Australia. There are no African or Latin American countries among the top 20. Correlation with high living standards While GDP is a useful indicator for measuring the size or strength of an economy, GDP per capita is much more reflective of living standards. For example, when compared to life expectancy or indices such as the Human Development Index or the World Happiness Report, there is a strong overlap - 14 of the 20 countries on this list are also ranked among the 20 happiest countries in 2024, and all 20 have "very high" HDIs. Misleading metrics? GDP per capita figures, however, can be misleading, and to paint a fuller picture of a country's living standards then one must look at multiple metrics. GDP per capita figures can be skewed by inequalities in wealth distribution, and in countries such as those in the Middle East, a relatively large share of the population lives in poverty while a smaller number live affluent lifestyles.

This statistic shows the projected top ten largest national economies in 2050. By 2050, China is forecasted to have a gross domestic product of over 58 trillion U.S. dollars.

By the year 2030, it is projected that China will eclipse the United States and have the largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world, at 31.7 trillion U.S. dollars. The United States is projected to have the second largest GDP, at 22.9 trillion U.S. dollars.

What is gross domestic product?

Gross domestic product, or GDP, is an economic measure of a country’s production in time. It includes all goods and services produced by a country and is used by economists to determine the health of a country’s economy. However, since GDP just shows the size of an economy and is not adjusted for the country’s size, this can make direct country comparisons complicated.

The growth of the global economy

Currently, the United States has the largest GDP in the world, at 20.5 trillion U.S. dollars. China has the second largest GDP, at 13.4 trillion U.S. dollars. In the coming years, production will become faster and more global, which will help to grow the global economy.

Throughout the Second World War, the United States consistently had the largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world. Additionally, U.S. GDP grew significantly throughout the war, whereas the economies of Europe and Japan saw relatively little growth, and were often in decline. The impact of key events in the war is also reflected in the trends shown here - the economic declines of France and the Soviet Union coincide with the years of German invasion, while the economies of the three Axis countries experienced their largest declines in the final year of the war.

From the Summer of 2007 until the end of 2009 (at least), the world was gripped by a series of economic crises commonly known as the Global Financial Crisis (2007-2008) and the Great Recession (2008-2009). The financial crisis was triggered by the collapse of the U.S. housing market, which caused panic on Wall Street, the center of global finance in New York. Due to the outsized nature of the U.S. economy compared to other countries and particularly the centrality of U.S. finance for the world economy, the crisis spread quickly to other countries, affecting most regions across the globe. By 2009, global GDP growth was in negative territory, with international credit markets frozen, international trade contracting, and tens of millions of workers being made unemployed.

Global similarities, global differences

Since the 1980s, the world economy had entered a period of integration and globalization. This process particularly accelerated after the collapse of the Soviet Union ended the Cold War (1947-1991). This was the period of the 'Washington Consensus', whereby the U.S. and international institutions such as the World Bank and IMF promoted policies of economic liberalization across the globe. This increasing interdependence and openness to the global economy meant that when the crisis hit in 2007, many countries experienced the same issues. This is particularly evident in the synchronization of the recessions in the most advanced economies of the G7. Nevertheless, the aggregate global GDP number masks the important regional differences which occurred during the recession. While the more advanced economies of North America, Western Europe, and Japan were all hit hard, along with countries who are reliant on them for trade or finance, large emerging economies such as India and China bucked this trend. In particular, China's huge fiscal stimulus in 2008-2009 likely did much to prevent the global economy from sliding further into a depression. In 2009, while the United States' GDP sank to -2.6 percent, China's GDP, as reported by national authorities, was almost 10 percent.

The average for 2023 based on 11 countries was 10329.52 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Guyana: 23325.12 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Bolivia: 3168.73 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2023 based on 166 countries was 9.91 percent. The highest value was in Niger: 47.81 percent and the lowest value was in Singapore: 0.03 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This statistic shows the 20 countries with the highest growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023. In 2023, Guyana ranked 2nd with an estimated GDP growth of approximately 32.96 percent compared to the previous year. GDP around the world Gross domestic product (GDP) is an indicator of the monetary value of all goods and services produced by a nation in a specific time period. GDP is a strong index of a country’s economic strength - the higher the GDP of a nation, the stronger that country’s economy. The countries in the world with the highest GDP or GDP per capita are mainly developed and emerging countries, with global gross domestic product amounting to nearly 75 trillion U.S. dollars. As of 2016, the United States is the nation in the world with the highest GDP with more than 18.56 trillion U.S. dollars, which makes up more than 15.7 percent of the global GDP. The countries with the lowest gross domestic product per capita in 2014 were mainly African nations. The country in the world with the lowest GDP per capita in 2016 was South Sudan, followed by Malawi, and Burundi. However, several economically struggling African and Asian countries such as Myanmar, Côte d'Ivoire, Bhutan, and India reported the highest growth of the gross domestic product in 2016. Also in the top 20 nations with the highest growth of the GDP is China. In 2016, the GDP in China was the second highest GDP in the world. It is estimated that by 2019 the GDP in China will grow by 6 percent. Based on this estimate, GDP in China will be at around 14.6 trillion U.S. dollars by 2019.

Tonga TO: GDP: Market Price: Linked Series data was reported at 941.800 TOP mn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 889.500 TOP mn for 2016. Tonga TO: GDP: Market Price: Linked Series data is updated yearly, averaging 444.684 TOP mn from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2017, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 941.800 TOP mn in 2017 and a record low of 133.835 TOP mn in 1989. Tonga TO: GDP: Market Price: Linked Series data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Tonga – Table TO.World Bank: Gross Domestic Product: Nominal. GDP at purchaser's prices is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. This series has been linked to produce a consistent time series to counteract breaks in series over time due to changes in base years, source data and methodologies. Thus, it may not be comparable with other national accounts series in the database for historical years. Data are in current local currency.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on World Bank national accounts data archives, OECD National Accounts, and the IMF WEO database.; ;

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in India was worth 3567.55 billion US dollars in 2023, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of India represents 3.38 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - India GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In the build up to the Second World War, the United States was the major power with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the world. In 1938, the United States also had the highest overall GDP in the world, and by a significant margin, however differences in GDP per person were much smaller. Switzerland In terms of countries that played a notable economic role in the war, the neutral country of Switzerland had the highest GDP per capita in the world. A large part of this was due to the strength of Switzerland's financial system. Most major currencies abandoned the gold standard early in the Great Depression, however the Swiss Franc remained tied to it until late 1936. This meant that it was the most stable, freely convertible currency available as the world recovered from the Depression, and other major powers of the time sold large amounts of gold to Swiss banks in order to trade internationally. Switzerland was eventually surrounded on all sides by Axis territories and lived under the constant threat of invasion in the war's early years, however Swiss strategic military planning and economic leverage made an invasion potentially more expensive than it was worth. Switzerland maintained its neutrality throughout the war, trading with both sides, although its financial involvement in the Holocaust remains a point of controversy. Why look at GDP per capita? While overall GDP is a stronger indicator of a state's ability to fund its war effort, GDP per capita is more useful in giving context to a country's economic power in relation to its size and providing an insight into living standards and wealth distribution across societies. For example, Germany and the USSR had fairly similar GDPs in 1938, whereas Germany's per capita GDP was more than double that of the Soviet Union. Germany was much more industrialized and technologically advanced than the USSR, and its citizens generally had a greater quality of life. However these factors did not guarantee victory - the fact that the Soviet Union could better withstand the war of attrition and call upon its larger population to replenish its forces greatly contributed to its eventual victory over Germany in 1945.

The average for 2021 based on 158 countries was 4.48 percent. The highest value was in Kiribati: 14.2 percent and the lowest value was in Nigeria: 0.38 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States GDPS: 2012p: Per Capita: Illinois data was reported at 58,217.000 USD in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 57,829.000 USD for 2016. United States GDPS: 2012p: Per Capita: Illinois data is updated yearly, averaging 54,393.000 USD from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2017, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 58,217.000 USD in 2017 and a record low of 47,416.000 USD in 1997. United States GDPS: 2012p: Per Capita: Illinois data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.A113: NIPA 2018: GDP by State: Great Lakes Region: Chain Linked 2012 Price: saar.

Key information about China GDP Per Capita

• China Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capita reached 12,621.720 USD in Dec 2023, compared with 12,674.873 USD in Dec 2022.
• China GDP Per Capita data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1957 to Dec 2023, with an average number of 369.297 USD.
• The data reached an all-time high of 12,674.873 USD in Dec 2022 and a record low of 68.243 in Dec 1957.
• CEIC converts annual GDP per Capita into USD. The National Bureau of Statistics provides GDP per Capita in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.

• In the latest reports, China GDP expanded 4.550 % YoY in Mar 2023.
• China Nominal GDP reached 4,166.759 USD bn in Mar 2023.
• Its GDP deflator (implicit price deflator) increased 0.400 % in Mar 2023.
• Gross Savings Rate of China was measured at 44.277 % in Dec 2023.

United States GDPS: saar: MI: Private Industries data was reported at 477.767 USD bn in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 467.116 USD bn for Mar 2018. United States GDPS: saar: MI: Private Industries data is updated quarterly, averaging 361.836 USD bn from Mar 2005 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 477.767 USD bn in Jun 2018 and a record low of 312.217 USD bn in Mar 2009. United States GDPS: saar: MI: Private Industries data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.A112: NIPA 2018: GDP by State: Great Lakes Region: Current Price: saar.

United States GDPS: 2012p: saar: MI: Pvt: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation data was reported at 3.506 USD bn in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.382 USD bn for Mar 2018. United States GDPS: 2012p: saar: MI: Pvt: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation data is updated quarterly, averaging 3.284 USD bn from Mar 2005 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.403 USD bn in Sep 2005 and a record low of 2.928 USD bn in Mar 2015. United States GDPS: 2012p: saar: MI: Pvt: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.A113: NIPA 2018: GDP by State: Great Lakes Region: Chain Linked 2012 Price: saar.

United States GDPS: 2012p: saar: MI: Private Industries data was reported at 424.129 USD bn in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 418.019 USD bn for Mar 2018. United States GDPS: 2012p: saar: MI: Private Industries data is updated quarterly, averaging 385.442 USD bn from Mar 2005 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 424.129 USD bn in Jun 2018 and a record low of 324.537 USD bn in Mar 2009. United States GDPS: 2012p: saar: MI: Private Industries data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.A113: NIPA 2018: GDP by State: Great Lakes Region: Chain Linked 2012 Price: saar.