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.

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.

U.S. GDP for 2023 was 27.721 trillion US dollars, a 6.59% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>U.S. GDP for 2022 was <strong>26.007 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>9.82% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>U.S. GDP for 2021 was <strong>23.681 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>10.9% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>U.S. GDP for 2020 was <strong>21.354 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>0.86% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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. Data are in current U.S. dollars. Dollar figures for GDP are converted from domestic currencies using single year official exchange rates. For a few countries where the official exchange rate does not reflect the rate effectively applied to actual foreign exchange transactions, an alternative conversion factor is used.

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.

World GDP for 2023 was 100.000 trillion US dollars, a 0% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>World GDP for 2022 was <strong>100.000 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>2.2% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>World GDP for 2021 was <strong>97.848 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>14.09% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>World GDP for 2020 was <strong>85.763 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>2.71% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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. Data are in current U.S. dollars. Dollar figures for GDP are converted from domestic currencies using single year official exchange rates. For a few countries where the official exchange rate does not reflect the rate effectively applied to actual foreign exchange transactions, an alternative conversion factor is used.

View economic output, reported as the nominal value of all new goods and services produced by labor and property located in the U.S.

The graph shows China's share in global gross domestic product adjusted for purchasing-power-parity until 2024, with a forecast until 2030. In 2024, China's share was about 19.45 percent. China's global GDP share Due to the introduction of capitalist market principles in 1978, China's economic market began to show immense change and growth. China's real GDP growth ranged at 5.0 percent in 2024. China's per capita GDP is also expected to continue to grow, reaching 13,300 U.S. dollars in 2024. Comparatively, Luxembourg and Switzerland have some of the world’s largest GDP per capita with 141,100 U.S. dollars and 111,700 U.S. dollars, respectively, expected for 2025.China is the largest exporter and second largest importer of goods in the world and is also among the largest manufacturing economies. The country also ranges among the world's largest agricultural producers and consumers. It relies heavily on intensive agricultural practices and is the world's largest producer of pigs, chickens, and eggs. Livestock production has been heavily emphasized since the mid-1970s. China’s chemical industry has also seen growth with a heavy focus on fertilizers, plastics, and synthetic fibers. China's use of chemical fertilizers amounted to approximately 50.2 million metric tons in 2023. GDP composition in China Industry and construction account for less than 40 percent of China's GDP. Some of the major industries include mining and ore processing, food processing, coal, machinery, textiles and apparel, and consumer products. Almost half of China's output is dedicated to investment purposes. However, as the country tends to support gross output, innovation, technological advancement, and even quality are often lacking.

Japan GDP for 2023 was 4.204 trillion US dollars, a 1.22% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Japan GDP for 2022 was <strong>4.256 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>15.46% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Japan GDP for 2021 was <strong>5.035 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>0.41% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Japan GDP for 2020 was <strong>5.056 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>1.22% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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. Data are in current U.S. dollars. Dollar figures for GDP are converted from domestic currencies using single year official exchange rates. For a few countries where the official exchange rate does not reflect the rate effectively applied to actual foreign exchange transactions, an alternative conversion factor is used.

On October 29, 1929, the U.S. experienced the most devastating stock market crash in it's history. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 set in motion the Great Depression, which lasted for twelve years and affected virtually all industrialized countries. In the United States, GDP fell to it's lowest recorded level of just 57 billion U.S dollars in 1933, before rising again shortly before the Second World War. After the war, GDP fluctuated, but it increased gradually until the Great Recession in 2008. Real GDP Real GDP allows us to compare GDP over time, by adjusting all figures for inflation. In this case, all numbers have been adjusted to the value of the US dollar in FY2012. While GDP rose every year between 1946 and 2008, when this is adjusted for inflation it can see that the real GDP dropped at least once in every decade except the 1960s and 2010s. The Great Recession Apart from the Great Depression, and immediately after WWII, there have been two times where both GDP and real GDP dropped together. The first was during the Great Recession, which lasted from December 2007 until June 2009 in the US, although its impact was felt for years after this. After the collapse of the financial sector in the US, the government famously bailed out some of the country's largest banking and lending institutions. Since recovery began in late 2009, US GDP has grown year-on-year, and reached 21.4 trillion dollars in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic and the associated lockdowns then saw GDP fall again, for the first time in a decade. As economic recovery from the pandemic has been compounded by supply chain issues, inflation, and rising global geopolitical instability, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the U.S. economy.

Historical chart and dataset showing Germany GDP by year from 1960 to 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Surplus or Deficit [-] as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (FYFSGDA188S) from 1929 to 2024 about budget, federal, GDP, and USA.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw growth fall by 2.2 percent, compared with an increase of 2.5 percent the year before. The last time the real GDP growth rates fell by a similar level was during the Great Recession in 2009, and the only other time since the Second World War where real GDP fell by more than one percent was in the early 1980s recession. The given records began following the Wall Street Crash in 1929, and GDP growth fluctuated greatly between the Great Depression and the 1950s, before growth became more consistent.

U.K. GDP for 2023 was 3.381 trillion US dollars, a 8.57% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>U.K. GDP for 2022 was <strong>3.114 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>0.93% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>U.K. GDP for 2021 was <strong>3.143 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>16.56% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>U.K. GDP for 2020 was <strong>2.697 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>5.42% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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. Data are in current U.S. dollars. Dollar figures for GDP are converted from domestic currencies using single year official exchange rates. For a few countries where the official exchange rate does not reflect the rate effectively applied to actual foreign exchange transactions, an alternative conversion factor is used.

Since 1980, Europe's largest economies have consistently been France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, although the former Soviet Union's economy was the largest in the 1980s, and Russia's economy has been larger than Spain's since 2010. Since Soviet dissolution, Germany has always had the largest economy in Europe, while either France or the UK has had the second largest economy depending on the year. Italy's economy was of a relatively similar size to that of the UK and France until the mid-2000s when it started to diverge, resulting in a difference of approximately 800 billion U.S dollars by 2018. Russia's economy had overtaken both Italy and Spain's in 2012, but has fallen since 2014 due to the drop in international oil prices and the economic sanctions imposed for its annexation of Crimea - economic growth is expected to be comparatively low in Russia in the coming years due to the economic fallout of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In 2025, Germany, now the world's third-largest economy, was estimated at over *** trillion U.S. dollars.

At the turn of the twentieth century, GDP per capita in Europe was approximately 59 percent higher than the global GDP per capita. This figure dropped over the first half of the century, to 152 percent in 1950. The period between the beginning of the First World War and the end of the Second World War (1914-1945) marked the period in European history with the lowest economic growth in modern history; this was followed by the period with the fastest economic growth from 1946-1973.

U.K. gdp growth rate for 2023 was 0.34%, a 4.5% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>U.K. gdp growth rate for 2022 was <strong>4.84%</strong>, a <strong>3.74% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>U.K. gdp growth rate for 2021 was <strong>8.58%</strong>, a <strong>18.87% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>U.K. gdp growth rate for 2020 was <strong>-10.30%</strong>, a <strong>11.92% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Annual percentage growth rate of GDP at market prices based on constant local currency. Aggregates are based on constant 2010 U.S. dollars. GDP 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.

The gross domestic product of the United Kingdom was around 2.56 trillion British pounds, an increase when compared to the previous year, when UK GDP amounted to about 2.54 trillion pounds. The significant drop in GDP visible in 2020 was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the smaller declines in 2008 and 2009 because of the global financial crisis of the late 2000s. Low growth problem in the UK Despite growing by 0.9 percent in 2024, and 0.4 percent in 2023 the UK economy is not that much larger than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since recovering from a huge fall in GDP in the second quarter of 2020, the UK economy has alternated between periods of contraction and low growth, with the UK even in a recession at the end of 2023. While economic growth picked up somewhat in 2024, GDP per capita is lower than it was in 2022, following two years of negative growth. UK's global share of GDP falling As of 2024, the UK had the sixth-largest economy in the world, behind the United States, China, Japan, Germany, and India. Among European nations, this meant that the UK currently has the second-largest economy in Europe, although the economy of France, Europe's third-largest economy, is of a similar size. The UK's global economic ranking will likely fall in the coming years, however, with the UK's share of global GDP expected to fall from 2.16 percent in 2025 to 2.02 percent by 2029.  

The Second World War was fought on such a large scale that it became total war in many countries - this is where the war effort is prioritized above all else, and the entire population and economy are mobilized to support all military endeavors. Germany and Japan were committing over 70 percent of their national income to the war effort in its final years.

There were also notable fluctuations that coincided with major events for corresponding powers. These included the UK's mobilization of its defenses in 1940, after Germany took most of Western Europe; the spike in Soviet military spending after Operation Barbarossa in June, 1941; and the U.S. entry into the war following the Pearl Harbor attacks in December, 1941.

During the "Golden Age of Capitalism", between 1950 and 1969, economic growth and output grew across virtually all countries in Europe. Growth in Western Europe was the fastest of any region in the world; Japan was the only individual, major economic power to experience faster growth during this time. In Western Europe, the fastest growth rates were across the southern states*, and in the founding countries of the European Coal and Steel Community (Benelux, France, Italy, and West Germany). Not only was West Germany the largest economy in post-WWII Western Europe, but it also had the highest growth rate of economic output, at an average of 6.2 percent each year. Causes Increased European integration removed many trade barriers and incentivized cooperation; for the countries who were reluctant to integrate, most notably the United Kingdom, economic growth was still achieved but at a much lower rate. Generally, there was also a correlation between social spending and economic growth, as countries who invested the most in public services and welfare also saw the largest rises in GDP throughout this period. American influence was also fundamental, particularly in private investment from American companies and the Americanization of business practices and corporate structures. Manufacturing In terms of manufacturing, West Germany and the southern countries saw the sharpest increases in annual output. West Germany already had a relatively industrialized economy, but greatly expanded these industries in the post-war period. For those states along the Mediterranean, there was a much stronger emphasis on agriculture than industrialization during the interwar period, which meant that when industrialization began in the late 1940s and 1950s it grew significantly. For example, Italy sought to strengthen its agricultural sector in the 1930s by restricting urbanization and migration abroad; after the war, the reversal of these policies saw manufacturing industries boom and employment reached record highs.

The United Kingdom's economy grew by 1.1 percent in 2024, after a growth rate of 0.4 percent in 2023, 4.8 percent in 2022, 8.6 percent in 2021, and a record 10.3 percent fall in 2020. During the provided time period, the biggest annual fall in gross domestic product before 2020 occurred in 2009, when the UK economy contracted by 4.6 percent at the height of the global financial crisis of the late 2000s. Before 2021, the year with the highest annual GDP growth rate was 1973, when the UK economy grew by 6.5 percent. UK economy growing but GDP per capita falling In 2022, the UK's GDP per capita amounted to approximately 37,371 pounds, with this falling to 37,028 pounds in 2023, and 36,977 pounds in 2024. While the UK economy as a whole grew during this time, the UK's population grew at a faster rate, resulting in the negative growth in GDP per capita. This suggests the UK economy's struggles with productivity are not only stagnating, but getting worse. The relatively poor economic performance of the UK in recent years has not gone unnoticed by the electorate, with the economy consistently seen as the most important issue for voters since 2022. Recent shocks to UK economy In the second quarter of 2020, the UK economy shrank by a record 20.3 percent at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there was a relatively swift economic recovery initially, the economy has struggled to grow much beyond its pre-pandemic size, and was only around 3.1 percent larger in December 2024, when compared with December 2019. Although the labor market has generally been quite resilient during this time, a long twenty-month period between 2021 and 2023 saw prices rise faster than wages, and inflation surge to a high of 11.1 percent in October 2022.