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.
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.
In 2024, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China amounted to around 18.7 trillion U.S. dollars. In comparison to the GDP of the other BRIC countries India, Russia and Brazil, China came first that year and second in the world GDP ranking. The stagnation of China's GDP in U.S. dollar terms in 2022 and 2023 was mainly due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar. China's real GDP growth was 3.1 percent in 2022 and 5.4 percent in 2023. In 2024, per capita GDP in China reached around 13,300 U.S. dollars. Economic performance in China Gross domestic product (GDP) is a primary economic indicator. It measures the total value of all goods and services produced in an economy over a certain time period. China's economy used to grow quickly in the past, but the growth rate of China’s real GDP gradually slowed down in recent years, and year-on-year GDP growth is forecasted to range at only around four percent in the years after 2024. Since 2010, China has been the world’s second-largest economy, surpassing Japan.China’s emergence in the world’s economy has a lot to do with its status as the ‘world’s factory’. Since 2013, China is the largest export country in the world. Some argue that it is partly due to the undervalued Chinese currency. The Big Mac Index, a simplified and informal way to measure the purchasing power parity between different currencies, indicates that the Chinese currency yuan was roughly undervalued by 38 percent in 2024. GDP development Although the impressive economic development in China has led millions of people out of poverty, China is still not in the league of industrialized countries on the per capita basis. To name one example, the U.S. per capita economic output was more than six times as large as in China in 2024. Meanwhile, the Chinese society faces increased income disparities. The Gini coefficient of China, a widely used indicator of economic inequality, has been larger than 0.45 over the last decade, whereas 0.40 is the warning level for social unrest.
In 2024, the U.S. GDP increased from the previous year to about 29.18 trillion U.S. dollars. Gross domestic product (GDP) refers to the market value of all goods and services produced within a country. In 2024, the United States has the largest economy in the world. What is GDP? Gross domestic product is one of the most important indicators used to analyze the health of an economy. GDP is defined by the BEA as the market value of goods and services produced by labor and property in the United States, regardless of nationality. It is the primary measure of U.S. production. The OECD defines GDP as an aggregate measure of production equal to the sum of the gross values added of all resident, institutional units engaged in production (plus any taxes, and minus any subsidies, on products not included in the value of their outputs). GDP and national debt Although the United States had the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world in 2022, this does not tell us much about the quality of life in any given country. GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) is an economic measurement that is thought to be a better method for comparing living standards across countries because it accounts for domestic inflation and variations in the cost of living. While the United States might have the largest economy, the country that ranked highest in terms of GDP at PPP was Luxembourg, amounting to around 141,333 international dollars per capita. Singapore, Ireland, and Qatar also ranked highly on the GDP PPP list, and the United States ranked 9th in 2022.
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.
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<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>
<li>World gdp growth rate for 2022 was <strong>3.24%</strong>, a <strong>3.11% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>World gdp growth rate for 2021 was <strong>6.35%</strong>, a <strong>9.23% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>World gdp growth rate for 2020 was <strong>-2.88%</strong>, a <strong>5.55% 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.
In 2023 the real gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States increased by 2.5 percent compared to 2022. This rate of annual growth indicates a return to economy normalcy after 2020 saw a dramatic decline in the GDP growth rate due to the the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and high growth in 2021.
What does GDP growth mean?
Essentially, the annual GDP of the U.S. is the monetary value of all goods and services produced within the country over a given year. On the surface, an increase in GDP therefore means that more goods and services have been produced between one period than another. In the case of annualized GDP, it is compared to the previous year. In 2023, for example, the U.S. GDP grew 2.5 percent compared to 2022.
Countries with highest GDP growth rate
Although the United States has by far the largest GDP of any country, it does not have the highest GDP growth, nor the highest GDP at purchasing power parity. In 2021, Libya had the highest growth in GDP, growing more than 177 percent compared to 2020. Furthermore, Luxembourg had the highest GDP per capita at purchasing power parity, a better measure of living standards than nominal or real GDP.
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The average for 2023 based on 183 countries was 26826 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Luxembourg: 130491 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Burundi: 829 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
Genesis One of the main task of the statistical system of a country is to provide the planners and policy makers with information on various aspects of economic' social and related activities in terms of its contribution to national economy and life, are available on a time series basis. Information on some other activities, though small in terms of its economic contribution but huge in terms of participating employment, was sparsely available through type studies and pilot surveys. In order to bridge the data gaps in these unrecorded but visible economic activities, the Central Statistical Organization (CSO) had embarked upon a programe of bationwide census of all economic activities, called the Economic Census (EC) which was followed by periodic detailed enquiries on a sample basis.
EARLIER CENSUSES
ECONOMIC CENSUS (EC 1977)
1.2 The first Economic Census to collect information in the non-agricultural economy was conducted in 1977, wherein the coverage was restricted only to non-agricultural enterprises employing at least one hired worker on a fairly regular basis. The census was undertaken with the participation of the Directorate of Economics & Statistics in various States/UTS by utilizing the services of persons appointed on a temporary/part-time basis. All the States/UTS of India, except the Union Territory of Lakshadweep were covered in the census. The EC 1977 adopted a dual approach; viz. (i) house listing approach for the urban areas and also for villages with a population of more than 5,000 as per 1971 population census in rural areas and (ii) village level enquiry for the remaining villages in the rural areas.
1.3 An establishment slip for recording the activity carried on, number of persons usually working with hired components, location and other basic characteristics including value of output/turnover was canvassed. However, in case of manufacturing activity details about the output were also collected for important items. A schedule giving village amenities was also canvassed with details of various services available and the distance from the village to avail such facilities.
1.4 Reports based on the data of EC 1977 at State/UT and all-India levels were prepared and published. Tables giving the activity group wise distribution of establishments with selected characteristics and with rural and urban break-up were generated. State-wise details for major activities and size class of employment, inter-alia, were also presented in tables. 1.5 The census was followed by detailed sample surveys during 1978-79 and 1979-80 covering the enterprises engaged in Manufacturing, Trade, Hotels & Restaurants, Transport, Storage & Warehousing and services. Detailed information on employment, emoluments, capital structure, input, etc. was collected. The data were disseminated in the form of reports giving all important characteristics on each of the concerned subject.
ECONOMIC CENSUS - 1980 (EC 1980)
1.6 As the Economic Census covers a large number of small units which are subjected to high rate of mobility and mortality, the census is required to be conducted at frequent intervals, generally not exceeding 5 years, to understand the structural changes and the status of entrepreneurial activities. Economic census being an independent one exclusively conducted for the purpose, large administrative and field machinery was required for its operation. The operations of the Census involve listing of addresses of enterprises through household approach and therefore, it was considered economical and expedient to organize the second Economic Census along with the houselisting operations of population census. The second Economic Census was thus conducted in 1980, alongwith the house listing operations of the population Census, 1981. All enterprises, engaged in economic activities - both agricultural and non-agricultural, whether employing any hired worker or not, were covered, except those engaged in crop production and plantation. Thus as against only non-agricultural establishments covered in the first Economic Census the second Economic Census covered all enterprises. All States/UTs were covered, except Assam, where the population Census, 1981 was not conducted.
1 .7 The information on location of enterprises, description of economic activity carried on, nature of operation, type of ownership, social group of owner, use of power, total number of workers usually engaged with its hired component and break-up of male and female workers was collected. The entire field work was done by the field staff consisting of enumerators and supervisors employed in the Directorate of Census operations of each State/UT. The State Directorates of Economics & Statistics were also associated in the supervision of field work, data processing and preparation of State reports of Economic Census and their publication.
1.8 The tabulation for Economic Census 1980 consisted of generation of two series of tables (A' series and 'B' series) with different sets of groupings for minor and major activities as also for agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. Summary statements which basically provide the sampling frame and planning material for enterprise surveys to be followed up were generated for each State/District separately for rural and urban areas. Series
A' gives the number of own- account enterprises and establishments with relevant characteristics Classified according to nature for economic activity. Series 'B' gives the principal characteristics of own-account enterprises and establishments classified by size class of total employment for each economic activity. The results have been published at State/All-India level.
1988-89 - Transport and Hotels & Restaurants, 1989-90 - Unorganized Manufacturing Establishments, 1990-91 - Trade Sector, 1991-92 - Medical, Educational, Cultural & other services.
1.10 In 1987-88, an updation of the sampling frame was done for 64 Class I cities/towns where identification of first stage units posed problems due to changes in urban structure. This information was used to conduct sample surveys after 1987-88.
ECONOMIC CENSUS -1990 (EC-1990)
1.11 The need for conducting regular economic census giving the details of entrepreneurial activities in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors was felt by various statistical for a academic and research institutions. Accordingly a Central Plan Scheme was prepared which was approved with a budget allocation of Rs.15.47 crores. The scheme was given to the Department of Statistics for implementation.
1.12 A unit headed by a Joint Director was formed in the Economic Census and Surveys Division of the Central Statistical Organization with the responsibility of overseeing the field work and its completion, data processing and publication of results. The unit functioned under the guidance of the Director of Economic Census and Surveys Division.
1.13 The scope and coverage of the Economic Census was finalized by a Technical Advisory Group ( TAG) represented by the Planning Commission, Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Labour, National Sample Survey Organization, Computer Centre of the Department of Statistics, Reserve Bank of India, State Directorates of Economics & Statistics, some of the Universities and Institutions. The main task of the TAG was to outline the details of the conduct of third Economic Census and synchronizing that with the house listing operations of the Population Census 1991. The terms of reference of the TAG were as follows:
a) To advise on the scope, coverage and concepts of the third Economic Census;
b) To lay down procedures for ensuring that the open air enterprises like mines, quarries, brick kilns are covered in third Economic Census;
c) To examine the feasibility of adopting urban frame survey blocks as units of enumeration in urban areas;
d) To finalize the tabulation programme and advise on the decentralization of tabulation work.
The TAG was assisted by three Sub- Groups. Viz. (i) sub-Group I to deal with the concepts, definitions and items coverage etc., Sub-Group II to examine the feasibility of adopting urban frame survey blocks and of conducting post enumeration checks and Sub-Group III to deal with the tabulation programmes and data processing.
WORK PLAN
1.14 The third Economic census was conducted along with the house listing operations of the population census, 1991 on the same pattern of Economic Census, 1980 which was taken up in all the states/UTS except Jammu & Kashmir where the population census, 1991 was not undertaken. The Registrar General and census commissioner of India and the Directors of census operations of states/UTS were given the job of organization and coordination of field work. The enumerators and supervisors involved in the operations of Economic census were given prior training at different levels. The Directorates of Economics & statistics in states/UTS were associated in the entire programme.
FORMS AND ITEMS OF INFORMATION COLLECTED
1.15 In most of the States, the enumeration work was completed between April - 1990. All particulars relating to an enterprise were collected in a form called `Enterprise List' (Annexure I). The items of
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Environmental issues have become one of the important topics affecting China and the world. As the world’s most populous country and the second-largest economy, China’s environmental conditions have significant impacts on global ecosystems and sustainable development. To accurately determine the relationship between economic development and the environment, explore the non-coordination and spatial characteristics between the two, and promote regional sustainable development. This study is based on land-use data from four periods: 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. It uses the dynamic measurement and value equivalent method to explore the characteristics of land-use changes and measure the value of ecosystem services in the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration. At the same time, the study uses the non-coordination degree model and hotspot analysis tools to identify the non-coordination between Ecosystem Service Value and economic development (Gross Domestic Product), and explore the spatial characteristics between them. The research results show that: (1) The main land-use types include cultivated land, forest land, and grassland, which account for more than 90% of the total proportion. The land types with a small proportion in the region are water areas, construction land, and unused land. (2) The development level of ecosystem service value presents four types of changes: fluctuating increase, fluctuating decrease, continuous increase, and continuous decrease. The regional spatial distribution shows obvious regional heterogeneity, overall presenting a spatial distribution pattern of “low in the middle, high around.” (3) The average index of non-coordination degree from 1990 to 2020 is 0.591, 0.635, 0.584, and 0.565, showing a coordinated non-coordination coupling type. The regional space presents a spatial pattern of “high in the central and western regions, low in the northeastern and southern regions.” (4) The hotspots of non-coordination are mainly concentrated in the central and northwest regions of the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration, while the coldspots of non-coordination are mainly distributed in the northeastern, western, and southern regions of the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration, showing a regular agglomeration distribution. This study suggests that it is necessary to balance and coordinate the relationship between regional economic development and the environment.
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The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in China expanded 5.40 percent in the first quarter of 2025 over the same quarter of the previous year. This dataset provides - China GDP Annual Growth Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.
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The average for 2023 based on 42 countries was 30836 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Singapore: 127544 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 1992 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
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The average for 2023 based on 183 countries was 26826 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Luxembourg: 130491 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Burundi: 829 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
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The average for 2023 based on 43 countries was 50594 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Luxembourg: 130491 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Moldova: 15855 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
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The average for 2023 based on 52 countries was 6731 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the Seychelles: 29469 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Burundi: 829 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
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The average for 2023 based on 19 countries was 19519 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Puerto Rico: 42995 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Haiti: 2956 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
The graph shows per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in China until 2024, with forecasts until 2030. In 2024, per capita GDP reached around 13,300 U.S. dollars in China. That year, the overall GDP of China had amounted to 18.7 trillion U.S. dollars. Per capita GDP in China Gross domestic product is a commonly-used economic indicator for measuring the state of a country's economy. GDP is the total market value of goods and services produced in a country within a given period of time, usually a year. Per capita GDP is defined as the GDP divided by the total number of people in the country. This indicator is generally used to compare the economic prosperity of countries with varying population sizes.In 2010, China overtook Japan and became the world’s second-largest economy. As of 2024, it was the largest exporter and the second largest importer in the world. However, one reason behind its economic strength lies within its population size. China has to distribute its wealth among 1.4 billion people. By 2023, China's per capita GDP was only about one fourth as large as that of main industrialized countries. When compared to other emerging markets, China ranked second among BRIC countries in terms of GDP per capita. Future development According to projections by the IMF, per capita GDP in China will escalate from around 13,300 U.S. dollars in 2024 to 18,600 U.S. dollars in 2030. Major reasons for this are comparatively high economic growth rates combined with negative population growth. China's economic structure is also undergoing changes. A major trend lies in the shift from an industry-based to a service-based economy.
The statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Japan from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the estimated gross domestic product per capita in Japan was around 32,498.15 U.S. dollars. For further information, see Japan's GDP. Japan's economy Japan is the world’s second largest developed economy and a member of the Group of Eight, also known as G8, which is comprised of the eight leading industrialized countries. Due to a weak financial sector, overregulation and a lack of demand, Japan suffered substantially from the early 1990s until 2000, a time referred to as ‘’The Lost Decade’’. Japan’s economy is still slowly recovering from the country’s asset price bubble collapse; however it continues to struggle to retain economic milestones achieved in the 1980s. Japan’s response to the crash was to stimulate the economy, which in turn resulted in extensive amounts of debt that further increased into the 21st century, most notably after the 2008 financial crisis. Despite maintaining a surprisingly low unemployment rate, demand within the country remains inadequate, primarily because Japanese residents spend a rather small fraction of the money they earned from the workplace. Lower demand often has a direct effect on production, with companies seeing not enough profits to continue production at such a high rate. Based on the consumer confidence index, Japanese households found that their quality of life, income growth, employment and propensity to durable goods was below satisfactory standards, perhaps due to these households still experiencing the effects of the 1990s bubble crash.
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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.
In 2023, the United States had a real gross domestic product of about 22 trillion U.S. dollars (2017 chained). See the U.S. GDP for further information. Real Gross Domestic Product is an inflation-adjusted measure that reflects the value of all goods and services produced in a given year, expressed in base-year prices.
Real GDP in the U.S.
The real GDP of the U.S. has increased from 9.37 trillion U.S. dollars (2012 chained) in 1990 to 22 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Like many of the worlds major economies, the United States has experienced a steady growth in GDP over the last few years. The Indian economy was expected to experienced growth of 9.4 percent between 2020 and 2021, while China’s GDP was expected to grow 8.1 percent in the same period. One of the defining qualities of the United States’ economy is its diversity and advanced technological advancements. Industries such as finance, real estate, health care, and business and education services are large contributors to the economy, while the manufacturing sector accounts for about 11 percent of the country’s wealth.
The GDP generated by each state can also vary widely based on principal industries and production. In 2021, California had the highest state GDP in the United States, reaching 3.35 trillion U.S. dollars; comparatively, Vermont generated a GDP of 36.17 billion U.S. dollars in that year.
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.