Its low fertility rate makes replacing its aging workforce more difficult, and its high levels of net immigration strain its social welfare system. As China has progressively opened its economy over the past four decades, economic development and living standards have greatly improved. India, as the world’s fifth-largest economy, is another country on the rise, but also one facing significant challenges, both social and environmental. While the Indian government has taken steps to encourage foreign investment and domestic development, much of the population still struggles with basic necessities. There has been some rebound recently, with renewed economic growth in the export industries for which Japan became so well known. Like many other modern societies, Japan has an aging population, posing some challenges to continued growth.
Australia combines a relatively open domestic economy with an extensive network of free trade agreements with trading partners all around the Asia-Pacific Rim. The list of the top 10 largest economies in the world is likely to grow more diverse in the coming decades. The number of G7 economies featured will decline, while emerging markets such as Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico could join the top tier given their large populations and ample potential for catch-up growth with the West. India’s economy has experienced some major growth within the last few years, and the country has held a position within the top five ranks since 2021. The country has a diverse range of leading exports from minerals and fuels to textile and garments.
Which Is the Fastest Growing Economy in the World?
Many of these countries also struggle with rising high debt burdens, inflation, and job market changes due to technology and globalization. The UK has remained among the top 10 largest economies for over 40 years. A few of the country’s major export products include crude oil, cars, aircraft parts, and pharmaceutical products. Key trade partners for the UK include the US, China, Netherlands, France and Germany. The United States has held the spot for the highest ranking GDP since the 1980s.
The tenth-largest economy in the world is Canada, with a GDP of $2.283 trillion. Italy is the eighth-largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $2.543 trillion. Japan is the fourth-largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $4.279 trillion. Germany is the third-largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $5.013 trillion.
Japan has also maintained a steadfast spot amongst the top five since the 1980s. However, the country used to rank higher, maintaining the second spot till 2009, before being dethroned by China. Similar to the other countries with the top five highest GDPs, Japan’s exports mainly revolve around goods like cars, automotive parts, and electric circuits.
The United States economy is the largest in the world as measured by nominal GDP. The biggest contributor to that GDP is the economy’s service sector, which includes finance, real estate, insurance, professional and business services, and healthcare. Often measured by GDP (gross domestic product), the size of an economy is often defined by the total value of all the goods and services produced the borders of a given country. This gives us a nice, round (and often very large) number to stick next to a country’s name, which makes it easy to compare to other countries.
The values shown below are based on Nominal GDP, also referred to as GDP, current prices. GDP, or gross domestic product, is a measure of the total value of all goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period, typically a financial year. The table below presents the largest economies globally, ranked by nominal GDP. France is a mixed economy that has many private and semi-private businesses across a diverse range of industries. However, there is still heavy government involvement in certain key sectors, such as defense and electrical power generation.
What Country Has the Smallest GDP?
Over the past three decades, Mexico has emerged as a manufacturing economy under a series of free trade agreements with the United States, Canada, and 50 other countries. Many major U.S. manufacturers have integrated supply chains with counterparts or operations in Mexico. Mexico supports a variety of exports, including consumer electronics, vehicles, and auto parts, as well as petroleum and agricultural products. Spain’s economy suffered severely during the Great Recession, with unemployment soaring above 25% and a rising national debt despite attempts at fiscal austerity. Though the economy is currently receiving a sizable boost from the disbursement of EU recovery funds, annual GDP growth is unlikely to top 1% this year or in the years that follow. Though services is the main economic sector, Germany also has a strong industrial base; the manufacturing sector is around twice as big as that of other G7 economies as a share of GDP.
Brazilian exports largely revolve around food goods like soybeans, poultry meat, and raw sugar. Some of Brazil’s key trading partners are the US, Argentina, China, and the Netherlands. The top 10 economies in the world are ranked on their nominal GDP or GDP current prices, as per the reports released by the IMF (International Monetary Fund).
U.S. Government Shutdown Becomes the Longest in History
In this article, we will cover the world’s largest economies by nominal GDP (GDP at current prices). This data is based on the World Economic Outlook report released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The country has a strong, export-based EU economy, a multinational business-friendly environment, and strong social equity and cohesion. Poland’s healthy banking sector and sound macroeconomic policies allowed it to be the only EU country to avoid recession in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
China ($19.53 trillion)
Turkey has a largely open economy, with large industrial and service sectors. Major industries include electronics, petrochemicals, and automotive production. Political turmoil and involvement in regional armed conflicts have led to some financial and currency market instability and uncertainty about Turkey’s economic future. However, according to the World Bank, “macroeconomic stabilization policies have reduced uncertainty and disinflation,” paving the way towards more stable economic growth.
- Spain’s economy suffered severely during the Great Recession, with unemployment soaring above 25% and a rising national debt despite attempts at fiscal austerity.
- Heavy industry, including iron and steel production, machinery manufacturing, shipbuilding, and coal mining, is an important part of Poland’s economy.
- One of country’s leading contributors is the automotive industry, thanks to the presence of groups like Volkswagen, BMW, and Daimler.
- The pharmaceutical industry is another strong suit, especially in the field of generic drugs.
- Throughout most of the world, GDPs fluctuate with the phases of different economic cycles, against a backdrop of longer-term economic growth over time.
India boasts particular strength in IT; collectively, the country’s two IT giants, Infosys and TCS, employ around a million people. The pharmaceutical industry is another strong suit, especially in the field of generic drugs. However, the agricultural sector, which employs a large portion of the population and still accounts for around a fifth of the economy, remains less productive and vulnerable to climate risks. The United States’ GDP is the world’s largest, being worth over a quarter of global output in nominal GDP terms.
China entered the top five list for largest economies in 2005, and has since been climbing the ranks. Following 2010, the country has been reigning the number two spot, trailing behind the US. Key contributing factors of China’s economy include the agriculture, industry, and service sectors.
Least Racist Countries
China is infamous for exporting its manufactured goods worldwide, and some of their its trade partners include the United States, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. Indonesia’s economy is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and is based largely on commodity export industries. Major exports include coal and petroleum products, in addition to agricultural commodities suitable for industrial use, such as rubber and palm oil. Lack of industrial diversification and challenging geography influences regional inequality as well as labor and income disparities are concerns for Indonesia’s rising economy.
Argentina rounds out the top 25 global economies, according to the IMF’s October 2025 release. While more than half of Argentina’s GDP comes from the services sector, the country also has a strong base in agriculture, manufacturing, extraction, and construction. Over half of GDP comes from the services sector with a third coming from industry. The primary industries in Ireland are pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer hardware and software, food products, beverages and brewing, and medical devices. Belgium is a trade and transport hub that has a diversified economy with a mix of service, manufacturing, and high-tech industries. Belgium faces a high public debt burden relative to its GDP, which can constitute an obstacle to growth.
- The main drivers of the Indian economy are the services, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors.
- Economy is driven by its large service sector, particularly in finance, insurance, and business services.
- The countries on this list have various populations, politics, trade agreements, and demographics, all of which play a factor in how their economies and, therefore, GDP perform.
- China is the most recent big success story on this list, having gained its status as the second-largest economy in the last quarter-century.
- It is followed by China in second place with a GDP of 18.74 trillion dollars.
The UK is the sixth-largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $3.958 trillion. The U.S. has the highest national debt of any country, with $32.9 trillion as of Oct. 15, 2025. Throughout this list and article, the term GDP refers to nominal GDP in current U.S. dollars reported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 2025. Note that all of the economies on this list are measured in the U.S. dollar, which is the reserve currency of the world. The actual bank notes are produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, then issues to Federal Reserve Banks around the country.
Also Read: New economies to raise share of non-oil sector in UAE’s GDP to 80%, minister says
With the world’s largest population of approximately 1.43 billion, India has a huge domestic market, which provides a large consumer base for businesses. The main drivers of the Indian economy are the services, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors. India is growing at 6.8% annually and has been declared the fastest-growing economy in emerging markets by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Saudi economy is heavily based on oil, as learn financial modeling the country is the world’s largest oil exporter. The UK economy is predominantly service-oriented, with insurance, finance and real estate as key contributors—particularly through the City of London, a major global financial hub.