The Long Depression was, by a large margin, the longest-lasting recession in U.S. history. It began in the U.S. with the Panic of 1873, and lasted for over five years. This depression was the largest in a series of recessions at the turn of the 20th century, which proved to be a period of overall stagnation as the U.S. financial markets failed to keep pace with industrialization and changes in monetary policy. Great Depression The Great Depression, however, is widely considered to have been the most severe recession in U.S. history. Following the Wall Street Crash in 1929, the country's economy collapsed, wages fell and a quarter of the workforce was unemployed. It would take almost four years for recovery to begin. Additionally, U.S. expansion and integration in international markets allowed the depression to become a global event, which became a major catalyst in the build up to the Second World War. Decreasing severity When comparing recessions before and after the Great Depression, they have generally become shorter and less frequent over time. Only three recessions in the latter period have lasted more than one year. Additionally, while there were 12 recessions between 1880 and 1920, there were only six recessions between 1980 and 2020. The most severe recession in recent years was the financial crisis of 2007 (known as the Great Recession), where irresponsible lending policies and lack of government regulation allowed for a property bubble to develop and become detached from the economy over time, this eventually became untenable and the bubble burst. Although the causes of both the Great Depression and Great Recession were similar in many aspects, economists have been able to use historical evidence to try and predict, prevent, or limit the impact of future recessions.

The 2020 recession did not follow the trend of previous recessions in the United States because only six months elapsed between the yield curve inversion and the 2020 recession. Over the last five decades, 12 months, on average, has elapsed between the initial yield curve inversion and the beginning of a recession in the United States. For instance, the yield curve inverted initially in January 2006, which was 22 months before the start of the 2008 recession. A yield curve inversion refers to the event where short-term Treasury bonds, such as one or three month bonds, have higher yields than longer term bonds, such as three or five year bonds. This is unusual, because long-term investments typically have higher yields than short-term ones in order to reward investors for taking on the extra risk of longer term investments. Monthly updates on the Treasury yield curve can be seen here.

Inflation is generally defined as the continued increase in the average prices of goods and services in a given region. Following the extremely high global inflation experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, global inflation has been relatively stable since the turn of the millennium, usually hovering between three and five percent per year. There was a sharp increase in 2008 due to the global financial crisis now known as the Great Recession, but inflation was fairly stable throughout the 2010s, before the current inflation crisis began in 2021. Recent years Despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the global inflation rate fell to 3.26 percent in the pandemic's first year, before rising to 4.66 percent in 2021. This increase came as the impact of supply chain delays began to take more of an effect on consumer prices, before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated this further. A series of compounding issues such as rising energy and food prices, fiscal instability in the wake of the pandemic, and consumer insecurity have created a new global recession, and global inflation in 2024 is estimated to have reached 5.76 percent. This is the highest annual increase in inflation since 1996. Venezuela Venezuela is the country with the highest individual inflation rate in the world, forecast at around 200 percent in 2022. While this is figure is over 100 times larger than the global average in most years, it actually marks a decrease in Venezuela's inflation rate, which had peaked at over 65,000 percent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, Venezuela experienced hyperinflation due to the government's excessive spending and printing of money in an attempt to curve its already-high inflation rate, and the wave of migrants that left the country resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in recent years. In addition to its economic problems, political instability and foreign sanctions pose further long-term problems for Venezuela. While hyperinflation may be coming to an end, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the economy, how living standards will change, and how many refugees may return in the coming years.

The unemployment rate in fiscal year 2204 rose to 3.9 percent. The unemployment rate of the United States which has been steadily decreasing since the 2008 financial crisis, spiked to 8.1 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual unemployment rate of the U.S. since 1990 can be found here. Falling unemployment The unemployment rate, or the part of the U.S. labor force that is without a job, fell again in 2022 after peaking at 8.1 percent in 2020 - a rate that has not been seen since the years following the 2008 financial crisis. The financial crash caused unemployment in the U.S. to soar from 4.6 percent in 2007 to 9.6 percent in 2010. Since 2010, the unemployment rate had been steadily falling, meaning that more and more people are finding work, whether that be through full-time employment or part-time employment. However, the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic created a spike in unemployment across the country. U.S. unemployment in comparison Compared to unemployment rates in the European Union, U.S. unemployment is relatively low. Greece was hit particularly hard by the 2008 financial crisis and faced a government debt crisis that sent the Greek economy into a tailspin. Due to this crisis, and the added impact of the pandemic, Greece still has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union.

In 2024, the annual inflation rate for the United Kingdom was 2.5 percent, with the average rate for 2025 predicted to rise to 3.2 percent, revised upwards from an earlier prediction of 2.6 percent. The UK has only recently recovered from a period of elevated inflation, which saw the CPI rate reach 9.1 percent in 2022, and 7.3 percent in 2023. Despite an uptick in inflation expected in 2025, the inflation rate is expected to fall to 2.1 percent in 2026, and two percent between 2027 and 2029. UK inflation crisis Between 2021 and 2023, inflation surged in the UK, reaching a 41-year-high of 11.1 percent in October 2022. Although inflation fell to more usual levels by 2024, prices in the UK had already increased by over 20 percent relative to the start of the crisis. The two main drivers of price increases during this time were food and energy inflation, two of the main spending areas of UK households. Although food and energy prices came down quite sharply in 2023, underlying core inflation, which measures prices rises without food and energy, remained slightly above the headline inflation rate throughout 2024, suggesting some aspects of inflation had become embedded in the UK economy. Inflation rises across in the world in 2022 The UK was not alone in suffering from runaway inflation over the last few years. From late 2021 onwards, various factors converged to encourage a global acceleration of prices, leading to the ongoing inflation crisis. Blocked-up supply chains were one of the main factors as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by energy and food inflation skyrocketing after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Central bank interest rates were raised globally in response to the problem, possibly putting an end to the era of cheap money that has defined monetary policy since the financial crash of 2008.

The statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. The gross domestic product of the United States in 2024 amounted to around 29.18 trillion U.S. dollars. The United States and the economy The United States’ economy is by far the largest in the world; a status which can be determined by several key factors, one being gross domestic product: A look at the GDP of the main industrialized and emerging countries shows a significant difference between US GDP and the GDP of China, the runner-up in the ranking, as well as the followers Japan, Germany and France. Interestingly, it is assumed that China will have surpassed the States in terms of GDP by 2030, but for now, the United States is among the leading countries in almost all other relevant rankings and statistics, trade and employment for example. See the U.S. GDP growth rate here. Just like in other countries, the American economy suffered a severe setback when the economic crisis occurred in 2008. The American economy entered a recession caused by the collapsing real estate market and increasing unemployment. Despite this, the standard of living is considered quite high; life expectancy in the United States has been continually increasing slightly over the past decade, the unemployment rate in the United States has been steadily recovering and decreasing since the crisis, and the Big Mac Index, which represents the global prices for a Big Mac, a popular indicator for the purchasing power of an economy, shows that the United States’ purchasing power in particular is only slightly lower than that of the euro area.

For most of the past two decades, China had the highest GDP growth of any of the BRICS countries, although it was overtaken by India in the mid-2010s, and India is predicted to have the highest growth in the 2020s. All five countries saw their GDP growth fall during the global financial crisis in 2008, and again during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020; China was the only economy that continued to grow during both crises, although India's economy also grew during the Great Recession. In 2014, Brazil experienced its own recession due to a combination of economic and political instability, while Russia also went into recession due to the drop in oil prices and the economic sanctions imposed following its annexation of Crimea.

This statistic shows the average inflation rate in Indonesia from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the average inflation rate in Indonesia amounted to about 2.3 percent compared to the previous year. The global financial crisis and economic consequences The global economy underwent a drastic slump due to the global financial crisis in 2008, which caused a continued increase in the general level of prices of goods and services; the highest recorded global inflation of the past decade took place in 2008, when the global inflation rate increased by more than 6.4 percent in comparison with the previous year. As for Indonesia, the country's inflation rate amounted to around 9.8 percent in comparison to the previous year. The financial crisis also impacted the global unemployment rate. In 2009, the global unemployment rate jumped to around 6.2 percent, and it is not expected to recover to pre-crisis levels anytime soon. The financial crisis impact on the Indonesian economy was slightly more severe: In 2008, the unemployment rate in Indonesia was around 8.4 percent, much higher than the global unemployment rate for the same year. It has, however, now decreased significantly, even though it is still not below the global level, the country itself has reached lower levels than before the crisis. After the financial crisis, the Indonesian government implemented several economic reforms and increased exports in order to strengthen the economy. In 2011, Indonesia exported goods with a value of more than 200 billion U.S. dollars. The main export partners of Indonesia are Japan, China and Singapore. As a result of increased exports, the Indonesian economy was able to grow, making Indonesia one of the twenty nations in the world with the largest gross domestic product in 2015.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of Russia reached nearly 2.2 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024, having increased from the previous year. In the period between 2025 and 2030, the country's economy was expected to continue growing. GDP refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. It is an important indicator of the economic strength of a country. Russian economy The Russian economy is primarily directed by both the private sector and the state. As a member of the BRIC, Russia is currently experiencing an accelerated growth within the economy with a chance of earning a place in the G7 economies. As of the 1990s, a large amount of the country’s industrial and agricultural sectors were privatized, however energy and military production remained with the state for the most part. Thus, the majority of Russian exports consisted of energy products as well as high-tech military equipment. The effects of the global financial crisis of 2008 took a similar toll on the Russian economy, however only had short-term effects. Russia recovered after two years and has since experienced exponential economic growth and productivity due to aggressive and prompt actions from the government, providing Russia with one of the most profitable economies in the world. Additionally, unemployment reached an all-decade low from the recent Russian economic boom, which furthermore implies that there is a slight growth in wages, however is also accompanied by a large worker shortage.

In 2018, Germany’s GDP peaked at around four billion U.S. dollars, the highest GDP the country has reported in decades. It is predicted to grow towards 5.57 billion by 2030. Germany has the fourth-largest GDP in the world, after the United States, China, and Japan. The national debt of Germany has steadily been falling since 2012 and is now about a quarter of the size of Japan’s and half that of the United States. Development of GDP per capita Gross domestic product per capita in Germany has been increasing since 2015 and experienced its last period of decline between the mid-nineties and early noughties. In 2001, GDP per capita was the lowest it had been since the early nineties, but more than doubled by the time of the financial crisis in 2008. GDP per capita fluctuated throughout the subsequent decade, before reaching around 48,000 U.S. dollars in 2018. Largest economic sectors The service sector generates the highest share of GDP in Germany at nearly 70 percent. Finance and telecommunications are a large part of the service sector, as well as tourism – including hospitality and accommodation. Roughly a quarter of GDP currently comes from the production industry, not including construction. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry make up less than one percent.

The statistic shows the inflation rate in Australia from 1987 to 2023, with projections up until 2030. The inflation rate is calculated using the price increase of a defined product basket. This product basket contains products and services, on which the average consumer spends money throughout the year. They include expenses for groceries, clothes, rent, power, telecommunications, recreational activities and raw materials (e.g. gas, oil), as well as federal fees and taxes. In 2023, the average inflation rate in Australia was at about 5.62 percent compared to the previous year. Australia's economy Australia has one of the world’s largest economies and is a significant global importer and exporter. It is also labeled as one of the G20 countries, also known as the Group of Twenty, which consists of 20 major economies around the globe. The Australian economy is highly dependent on its mining sector as well as its agricultural sector in order to grow, and it exports the majority of these goods to eastern Asian countries, most prominently China. Large quantities of exports have helped Australia maintain a stable economy and furthered economic expansion, despite being affected by several economic obstacles. Australia’s GDP has seen a significant increase over the past decade, more than doubling its value, and experienced a rather quick recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, which indicates that the country experienced economic growth as well as higher productivity. One of the primary reasons is the further development of the nation’s mining industry coupled with the expansion and success of many Australian mining companies.

The statistic shows the average inflation rate in Turkey from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the average inflation rate in Turkey was at around 58.51 percent compared to the previous year. Turkey’s economy With a continuously growing gross domestic product /GDP and thus a rising share in the global GDP adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity, Turkey’s economy is one of the largest worldwide. By 2030, Turkey is estimated to be one of the countries with the highest gross domestic product worldwide. Import of goods figures and export figures are rising as well, however, the trade balance of Turkey has been in the negative range for several years now with a downwards trend which indicates a serious trade deficit – or in other words: an imbalance between export and import costs; the value of goods Turkey imports is a lot higher than the value of exported goods. Main export partners of Turkey for textiles, automotive goods, iron and steel, among other goods, are mostly European countries, with Germany leading the ranking, followed by Iraq, Great Britain, Italy and France. The most important economic sector for Turkey is the services sector, especially the tourism sector, which has experienced a significant boost over the last decade. Thus, Turkey is now among the most popular destinations for visitors of all nations. A look at gross domestic product /GDP growth in Turkey shows that the country suffered a brief setback during the economic crisis of 2008, but swiftly recovered and was back in the black by 2010. Turkey’s employment figures hardly suffered at all, they too recovered quickly and are now back to pre-crisis levels.

In 2024, the inflation rate in Ireland amounted to about 1.32 percent compared to the previous year. Ireland’s inflation is forecast to stabilize over the coming years at around two percent. The Irish recessionIreland’s economy was the first one in the EU to collapse and enter a recession during the financial crisis of 2008. Unemployment skyrocketed, gross domestic product declined, many Irish workers emigrated to find jobs elsewhere, and even a decade later, Ireland still struggles to return to its former standards. GDP growth, for example, still fluctuates considerably, just like inflation, and unemployment seems to have only just recovered. To good health and a stable economy The Central European Bank recommends a stable inflation around two percent as ideal, and Ireland seems to be on the right track. Most of its GDP is generated by services, for example tourism and financial services. However, the alcohol industry is also an important player: In 2018, more than 3.7 billion U.S. dollars in revenue were reported by the Irish alcoholic drinks market.

The statistic shows the inflation rate in the Netherlands from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. The inflation rate is calculated using the price increase of a defined product basket. This product basket contains products and services, on which the average consumer spends money throughout the year. They include expenses for groceries, clothes, rent, power, telecommunications, recreational activities and raw materials (e.g. gas, oil), as well as federal fees and taxes. In 2024, the average inflation rate in the Netherlands was about 3.22 percent compared to the previous year. Economy of the Netherlands The Netherlands has an open economy, which implies that the country is highly dependent on foreign activities, such as imports and exports. The country’s economic policies and regulations have allowed for the country to highly benefit from strong international relations, however have increased the chances of economic struggles that correspond with the economic situations in other countries as well. The Netherlands is one of the main countries for foreign direct investments in Europe due to its strategic location, superior technological infrastructure as well as international business environment, a reputation that has all but grown more formidable over the years. Additionally, the country’s tourism industry makes up a rather large part of its GDP. Despite feeling the effects of the global financial crisis of 2008 as well as the Eurozone crisis, many aspects of the Dutch economy are highly prosperous, most notably with its low inflation rates. Unemployment within the country, in spite of a slight increase over the past several years, has remained relatively low in comparison many other European countries that were equally as affected by recession.

The statistic shows the GDP per capita in France from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, GDP per capita in France was at around 46,203.68 US dollars.Suffering competitivenessGDP is one of the primary indicators that is used to gauge the state of health of a country’s economy. It is the total market value of all completed goods and services that have been produced within a country in a given period of time, usually a year. GDP figures allow us to understand a country’s economy in a clear way. Real GDP, in a similar way, is also a very useful indicator; this is a measurement that takes prices changes (inflation and deflation) into account, therefore acting as a key indicator for economic growth.Gross domestic product per capita in France is predicted to continue falling in 2013 after a short period of growth in 2011 indicated that it may not, in fact, be on the mend. The country has been suffering significant economic hardship since the economic crisis of 2008 swept across the world. The European Union’s second largest economy is experiencing a shocking deterioration in its level of competitiveness. The items – cars, clothing, steel, electrical goods – that France is producing are simply failing to compete with the goods produced by Asian countries and its European neighbours, which, in turn, is leading to an accelerating fall in exports and a notable decline in the service and manufacturing sectors that support them. It could be argued that up until now France has managed to maintain its status as a reliable northern eurozone country, propped up by the uncontested reliability and strength of its principal partner, Germany.

The statistic shows the national debt of the United States from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. The amount of the debt of the United States amounted to around 35.25 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. National debt of the United States National debt in the United States is a topic of much debate and controversy, primarily due to large amounts of unnecessary spending. Despite the fact that the United States had the highest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world in 2016, along with being one of the most developed powerhouses in the world, the country suffers in many economical aspects. When analyzing the country’s imports and exports, the United States has recorded a trade deficit for more than a decade as of 2015, meaning that its imports exceeded its exports every year. However, despite being significantly affected by the world economic crisis in 2008, the country’s trade balance noticeably improved in 2009, almost halving the country’s total trade deficit. An economical aspect that did not improve during the world economic crisis was the country’s unemployment rate. The number of unemployed in the United States increased greatly in 2009 and continued to rise in 2010, however finally stabilized in the following years and has since declined yearly. When considering the total population of the United States, which amounted to roughly 322 million in 2015, a large percentage of citizens, who are capable of work, have been left without a job for roughly 7 years.

The statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) in Canada from 1987 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the gross domestic product in Canada was around 2.41 trillion U.S. dollars. The economy of Canada Canada is the second biggest country in the world after Russia and the biggest country in North America. Despite its large size, Canada has a relatively small population of just around 35.9 million people. However, the total population in Canada is estimated to grow to around 37.5 million inhabitants in 2020. The standard of living in the country is pretty high, the life expectancy as of 2013 in Canada ranks as one of the highest in the world. In addition, the country ranks number eight on the Human Development Index (HDI) worldwide. All key factors point to a stable and sustainable economy. Not only is Canada’s population increasing, but the economy has been slowly recovering after the global financial crisis in 2008. The unemployment rate in Canada in 2010 was at approximately 8 percent (263696). Today, the unemployment rate in Canada is estimated to be around 6.8 percent, and it is estimated to decrease further. During the financial crisis in 2008, Canada's inflation rate amounted to around 2.4 percent. By 2013, the inflation rate was at less than 1 percent in comparison to the previous year. Canada is considered to be one of the world’s wealthiest countries. By value of private financial wealth, Canada ranked seventh along with Italy. In addition, its gross domestic product per capita in 2014 was among the largest in the world and during the same year, its gross domestic product increased by over 2.5 percent in comparison to the previous year. Canada’s economic growth has been a result of its political stability and economic reforms following the global financial crisis. In the period between 2009 and 2010, Canada was among the leading countries with the highest political stability in the world.

The statistic shows the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in EU member states as of November 2024. The source defines youth unemployment as unemployment of those younger than 25 years. In November 2024, the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in Spain was at 26.6 percent. Youth unemployment rate in EU member states Unemployment is a crucial economic factor for a country; youth unemployment is often examined separately because it tends to be higher than unemployment in older age groups. It comprises the unemployment figures of a country’s labor force aged 15 to 24 years old (i.e. the earliest point at which mandatory school education ends). Typically, teenagers and those in their twenties who are fresh out of education do not find jobs right away, especially if the country’s economy is experiencing difficulties, as can be seen above. Additionally, it also tends to be higher in emerging markets than in industrialized nations. Worldwide, youth unemployment figures have not changed significantly over the last decade, nor are they expected to improve in the next few years. Youth unemployment is most prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa, even though these regions report high unemployment figures regardless (Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan are among the countries with the highest unemployment rates in the world, for example), and are also highly populated areas with a rather weak infrastructure, compared to industrialized regions. In the European Union and the euro area, unemployment in general has been on the rise since 2008, which is due to the economic crisis which caused bankruptcy and financial trouble for many employers, and thus led to considerable job loss, less job offerings, and consequently, to a rise of the unemployment rate. Older workers are struggling to find new jobs despite their experience, and young graduates are struggling to find new jobs, because they have none. All in all, the number of unemployed persons worldwide is projected to rise, this is not down to the economic crisis alone, but also the industrial automation of processes previously performed by workers, as well as rising population figures.

In 2040, the nominal price of the OPEC reference basket oil is expected to reach 155 U.S. dollars. The nominal price is an unadjusted number, without taking elements such as inflation, seasonality, loan fees, interest compounding into account.

Prices rising and recovering

The “real price” (in 2015 U.S. dollars) of oils in the OPEC reference basket is projected to more than double from 2016 to 2040. While the average annual OPEC crude oil price was at the lowest point in over a decade in 2016 and had room to recover, real 2015 prices are not expected to reach the high levels of the early 2010s over the next twenty years.

Turbulence in the 2010s

As oil prices fluctuated heavily during the 2008 financial crisis, the United States sought to decrease reliance on imports from OPEC countries and invested in domestic oil production to keep up with high demand at lower cost. The subsequent development of hydraulic fracturing enabled extraction of shale oil in the United States and brought a surge in production, causing a global oversupply by 2014, known as the 2010s oil glut.

The statistic shows the national debt of the United States from 2019 to 2022 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP), with projections up until 2029. In 2022, the national debt of the United States was at around 120.03 percent of the gross domestic product. See the US GDP for further information. US finances There has been a dramatic increase in the public debt of the United States since 1990, although the month-to-month change has been quite stable over the last few months. Public debt is defined as the amount of money borrowed by a country to cover budget deficits. A ranking of individual state debt in the United States shows that California is leading by a clear margin, with more than double the amount of runner-up New York. Vermont, North Dakota and South Dakota are the states with the lowest amount of debt. Even before the recession of 2008, the national debt of the United States had been increasing steadily and excessively, and it is predicted to rise even further. Budget cuts and fewer job opportunities as a result of the crisis are taking their toll on the American economy, which is still recovering. Trade figures as well as unemployment are still below average. Subsequently, the national debt and the national debt of the United States per capita have more or less quadrupled since the 1990s. Interestingly, the United States is not even among the top ten of countries with the highest public debt in relation to gross domestic product in international comparison. Japan, Greece and Italy – among others – report far higher figures than the United States.