In 2025, the United States had the largest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of over 30.6 trillion U.S. dollars. China was the world's second-largest economy, at around 19.4 trillion U.S. dollars. A distant third, Germany's GDP was just over five trillion dollars this year, followed by Japan at 4.28 trillion and India at 4.13 trillion. Global gross domestic product Global gross domestic product amounted to approximately 117.2 trillion U.S. dollars in 2025, with the United States making up more than one-quarter of this figure alone. The eleven largest economies in the world include all 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. Calculating GDP 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 over 60 percent of global gross domestic product, while advanced economies make up just under 40 percent.

The average for 2023 based on 188 countries was 0.53 percent. The highest value was in the USA: 26.3 percent and the lowest value was in Andorra: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The USA: Percent of world GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 26.3 percent, an increase from 25.73 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 0.53 percent, based on data from 188 countries. Historically, the average for the USA from 1980 to 2023 is 26.89 percent. The minimum value, 21.2 percent, was reached in 2011 while the maximum of 35.32 percent was recorded in 1985.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States was worth 29184.89 billion US dollars in 2024, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of the United States represents 27.49 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides - United States GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2025, the global economy was estimated to have grown by approximately 3.2 percent, compared with 3.3 percent in 2024. In most years since 2000, global gross domestic product has increased. Notable exceptions to this include the Great Recession in 2009, and again in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the global economy shrank.

Context

Understanding how the world's economies are doing, especially the trends in World GDP Growth, is crucial for decision-makers, economists, and researchers. This dataset covers the years 1980 to 2024 and gives a complete picture of how the GDP of different countries has been growing. The main goal is to break down the information using specific indicators for each country, providing useful insights into the various factors that influence the global economy.

Content

In this dataset, you'll find important information like the name of the country, the type of indicator, and the average yearly growth of their economy from 1980 to 2024. This treasure trove of data makes it easy for researchers to do in-depth studies and find connections between different factors. By exploring how country-specific indicators relate to the growth of their economies, we can draw valuable conclusions about the complicated world of global economics throughout the years.

Dataset Structure:

This dataset (world_gdp_data.csv) covering from 1980 to 2024 consists of the following columns:

Acknowledgment

The primary dataset was sourced from the International Monetary Fund. I extend sincere gratitude to the team for providing the core data used in this dataset.

© Image credit: Freepik

Historical dataset showing World gdp growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

This dataset provides values for GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

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 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.

In 2025, Liechtenstein had the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world at just over 231,700 U.S. dollars. The top five largest economies in terms of GDP per capita were all in Europe, with the Singapore having the largest GDP per capita in the rest of the world. The United States had the largest GDP per capita among American countries, while Qatar had the largest GDP per capita in the Middle East. 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.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Vietnam was worth 476.39 billion US dollars in 2024, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of Vietnam represents 0.45 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Vietnam GDP - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Switzerland: Percent of world GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 0.85 percent, an increase from 0.82 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 0.53 percent, based on data from 188 countries. Historically, the average for Switzerland from 1980 to 2023 is 0.96 percent. The minimum value, 0.82 percent, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 1.2 percent was recorded in 1987.

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 19.3 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.

Ukraine: Percent of world GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 0.17 percent, an increase from 0.16 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 0.53 percent, based on data from 188 countries. Historically, the average for Ukraine from 1987 to 2023 is 0.21 percent. The minimum value, 0.1 percent, was reached in 1999 while the maximum of 0.42 percent was recorded in 1989.

Argentina: Percent of world GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 0.61 percent, a decline from 0.63 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 0.53 percent, based on data from 188 countries. Historically, the average for Argentina from 1980 to 2023 is 0.68 percent. The minimum value, 0.28 percent, was reached in 2002 while the maximum of 1 percent was recorded in 1984.

India: Percent of world GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 3.45 percent, an increase from 3.31 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 0.53 percent, based on data from 188 countries. Historically, the average for India from 1980 to 2023 is 2 percent. The minimum value, 1.09 percent, was reached in 1993 while the maximum of 3.45 percent was recorded in 2023.

Ireland: Percent of world GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 0.52 percent, a decline from 0.54 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 0.53 percent, based on data from 188 countries. Historically, the average for Ireland from 1980 to 2023 is 0.32 percent. The minimum value, 0.17 percent, was reached in 1984 while the maximum of 0.55 percent was recorded in 2021.

Italy: Percent of world GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 2.19 percent, an increase from 2.08 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 0.53 percent, based on data from 188 countries. Historically, the average for Italy from 1980 to 2023 is 3.63 percent. The minimum value, 2.08 percent, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 5.29 percent was recorded in 1991.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Iran was worth 436.91 billion US dollars in 2024, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of Iran represents 0.41 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides - Iran GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.