The world's largest economies: ranking. The most powerful economies in the world States with the highest level of economic development

The absolute wealth of a country is expressed by GDP. The absolute GDP indicator indicates the overall level of development of the country's economy and its share in the global gross product. Residents' wealth is usually calculated as the total GDP/number of citizens of a country. It is clear that the wealth ratings of countries and their residents have little overlap with each other.

The richest countries in the world 2016 by absolute GDP

The United States ranks 1st in terms of wealth in 2016.

America, against the backdrop of a greatly slowed China in 2016, is no longer in danger of losing first place. Compared to last year, GDP grew by $433 billion and the gap from second place increased.

China took 2nd place

The Chinese economic “bubble” has been deflating throughout the past year. Structural problems associated with rising labor costs have so far been covered with money - about $400 billion of reserves have been spent. Although GDP growth has slowed down, it shows a stable positive result: +$171 billion.

3rd place - Japan

The global technology giant continues to show good economic growth despite the volatility of Asian markets. +$202 billion

4th place went to Germany

Despite the problems in the Eurozone, its economic locomotive managed to remain the fourth economy in the world. +$54 billion

5th place - Great Britain

The only country from the top five that showed a negative result according to IMF estimates from April to April.

Russia among the strongest economies in the world it was in 14th position with a result of $1.1 trillion in GDP. Although the Russian Federation showed negative growth, it was able to rise in the ranking by one step at the expense of Mexico, which fell to 15th place.

List of Top 100 countries by absolute GDP in 2016

It is clear that China, with a population of 1.36 billion people, is much easier to achieve absolute indicators than relative ones. The relative GDP indicator is based on the ratio of the GDP produced by a country to the size of its population and characterizes the wealth and standard of living of the citizen himself.

The richest countries in the world 2016 by level of well-being of citizens (GDP per capita)

The richest citizens of 2016 live in Luxembourg

The miniature state still lives on rent from offshore and banking income and feels great about it. Citizens receive $104 thousand from the country's GDP per person.

2nd place – Switzerland

Swiss banking secrecy and tourism allow the country's citizens to be among the wealthiest in the world. GDP per capita – $78 thousand.

Norway took 3rd place

The northern country, despite significant losses from falling oil prices, managed to remain in the top three countries with the highest living standards. $69712

4th place – Qatar

The oil-producing Middle Eastern state lost more than Norway from the fall in oil. If last year Qatar was the leader in the list, now it is only fourth place with a result of $66 thousand per person.

Rounding out the top five is Macau.

A special administrative region of China with a small population by Chinese standards of 500 thousand people earns money from tourism (annual flow is 25 million) and from the gambling business, which accounts for 40% of GDP. $62.5 thousand

Russians in 2016 they became $1,300 poorer per person. $7750 is the 73rd result.

List of Top 100 countries by GDP per capita

Despite the fact that GDP at purchasing power parity cannot be a fair estimate and is akin to a mental balancing act like the Big Mac index, we present existing data.

Rating of countries by GDP per capita PPP 2016

The ranking of world economies is compiled annually and often undergoes some changes. Although everyone knows the leaders, as they say, “by sight,” and there have been no changes here for several years. This ranking is based on the study of states. It includes almost all countries, which makes the study one of the most significant for understanding the overall picture of the world.

GDP as an indicator of economic development

If you calculate the entire value of goods and services produced on the territory of a single country, you will get an indicator in other words, GDP. Thus, this indicator provides an estimate of economic output in general. If, for example, we take two countries, Kazakhstan and Portugal, which occupy 46 and 47 positions in the ranking, respectively, ($203.1 and 201 billion), the unreliability of economic development to their position in the list becomes obvious. Portugal bases its profits on finished products, i.e. This is where the entire production cycle takes place. The basis for Kazakhstan is the export of minerals, and development occurs through extensive production, which cannot last long. Although in recent years there have been prospects for intensification, they are episodic and make virtually no changes to the overall picture. So, let’s move on to the Top 5 world economy ranking based on the results of 2015.

No. 5 - Great Britain

In the past year, the brilliant work of the Parliament and the country's economic system allowed England to break into the Top 5, overtaking France. This country has a long financial and industrial history. In this matter she has no equal. The Central Bank works exclusively, industry exports chemicals, light and heavy industrial products, mechanical engineering plays a huge role, high technology. The service sector and tourism are of great importance.

But the main role in the indicators belongs to the financial gurus and the Central Bank of the country, they are the ones who are pursuing a policy to stabilize the pound, which is reflected in the GDP indicators, which amount to 2853.4 trillion. USD.

No. 4 - Germany

This country has been and remains a leader for many years. Germany is a post-industrial country, based on which industry accounts for only 20% of the country's GDP. Just think, many believe that the basis of development is mechanical engineering with its BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and others, light and heavy industry. But, as it turned out, the main ones are agriculture and education. Science is of great importance; it is its development that allows Germany to make discoveries and new inventions, which are immediately put on the market. All this, coupled with the skillful financial activities of the country’s government, gives 3413.5 trillion. USD and provides the 4th step of the “World Economies” rating.

No. 3 - Japan

The chain of islands in the East, which is called the land of the rising sun, has simply amazing economic indicators. If we take into account the fact that Japan practically does not own minerals and other natural resources. For many years it has been competing with the United States in the field of high technology and inventions, and who is the leader here is a big question. It is no coincidence that robotics exhibitions are held mainly in Japan. And everyone knows that if the purchased equipment is stamped “made in Japan”, this gives an unspoken guarantee of its quality, which is worth only one company SONY. The Japanese mentality is of great importance - amazing efficiency and responsibility. It's in their blood! The economies of the world's countries indirectly depend on Japan, or more precisely on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which influences many financial events. Traditionally, this country supplies high-quality cars such as Toyota, Honda, Mitsubichi, Mazda and others, household appliances, computers and other electronics to world markets. The role of the banking system is also very high. All this gives Japan a well-deserved bronze rating. The GDP of this country is 4210.4 trillion. USD.

No. 2 - China

The PRC is not a character, but it has entered such a frenzy of development that the world economy, at least most countries, has become envious of it. GDP - 11211.9 trillion. USD! This is the second position. China is confidently pushing back the United States and, according to analysts, in less than 10 years its economy could become the first in the world, overtaking America. And this is no coincidence; GDP growth is 10% annually; not a single state in our rating can boast of such an indicator. China is the undisputed leader in the export of finished products. We can say that the PRC dresses and dresses everything in the CIS, goods from Chinese factories are presented in abundance on the markets of Western Europe and America. China's industry has long had no equal, but in addition to it, space technology, construction and the extraction of rare metals used in electronics are developing, which is why a huge number of companies producing modern computer equipment are concentrated in China. It turns out that even the well-known company Apple has located its production in China.

No. 1 - USA

The United States has been the incomparable leader in terms of GDP for many years in a row. America's main advantage is the dollar; it is the reserve currency of more than 50% of the world's countries, and the United States skillfully uses this. But you shouldn’t think that only the dollar brings this country to the first line of the ranking. US industry, high and information technologies, the services market - everything is developing here, and the dollar supports this development. The world economy directly depends on the state of affairs in the United States. Therefore, if economic difficulties begin in America, they occur in most countries of the world. Just remember the “depression” of the early 30s of the 20th century. With the decline in quotations on the New York Stock Exchange, one of the most powerful global events in the history of mankind began. Regarding the GDP of the leader of the rating, it is at around 18124.7 trillion. USD and accounts for 30% of the global figure.

Economic miracle of 2016

If you divide the entire state’s earnings by the number of residents of the country, you will get a figure and here the ranking is completely different, in which the above leaders are not even included in the top ten. Qatar, Luxembourg, Singapore, Brunei, Kuwait are ranked 1st to 5th respectively in this ranking, which determines the economy. The environment plays an important role here. Three of the top five are positioned due to their favorable geographic location on the Persian Gulf coast and almost 100% of their exports are hydrocarbons.

Economic fiasco of 2016

The tense international situation leads to a difficult economic situation. Some countries were hit harder than others, resulting in economic decline. In this regard, there is a rating of “The Worst Economies in the World”, which is headed by Venezuela, followed by another South American state - Brazil, the birthplace of democracy - Greece - is in third place, followed by Russia due to the fall of the ruble in relation to world currencies. Ecuador closes the Top 5.

To summarize, it must be said that the world economy has increasingly entered a state of crisis in recent years. Sometimes the entry is intentional, due, for example, to sanctions, sometimes it occurs for natural reasons, which also greatly impacts the indicators and, consequently, the rating. Of course, the calculations may be biased, firstly, because they are calculated in American dollars, and secondly, the difference in domestic prices and the cost of material goods is not taken into account. In general, we can say that the ranking of world economies is nothing more than a GDP ranking, which does not show the real state of affairs within each country, and this is its big disadvantage.

In addition to strength and size, the economies of different countries were assessed by the degree of their openness, efficiency in the financial sector and the economic opportunities that are offered to the population.

In total, the researchers analyzed the state of 149 countries. Russia ranks 95th on the list, followed immediately by Moldova. Here are 19 countries whose economies received the highest rating.

19. Japan

Haruhiko Kuroda, Governor of the Bank of Japan, speaks at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Photo: REUTERS

Despite having the world's largest economy based on net GDP, years of stagnation and inflation have left Japan a weak spot on the list.

18. Iceland

Demonstration against Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson in Reykjavik on April 4, 2016. Photo: REUTERS

This country has a developed economy, but, nevertheless, it also has its problems. During the financial crisis, Iceland's banking system nearly collapsed, causing the country to suffer a depression from 2008 to 2010.

17. France

La Défense business district in Paris. Photo: pisaphotography / Shutterstock

The country's economy is Europe's second largest but has been hit hard by slowing growth due to the debt crisis that began in 2009. The country's problems have also been exacerbated by an inefficient labor market that has abandoned reforms. Despite this, France still remains one of the engines of the world economy.

16. Belgium

The economy of this country has received high praise from the Legatum Institute. Belgium made headlines when its small province of Wallonia jeopardized bilateral trade between Europe and Canada.

15. Australia

The country has the largest economy in the southern hemisphere and is heavily dependent on raw materials. For example, iron is the most important resource. For more than 25 years, Australia's economy has been stable and has even managed to avoid the worst of the financial crisis.

14. USA

Janet Yellen, head of the US Federal Reserve, speaking before the Senate Banking Committee on July 15, 2014. Photo: REUTERS

The country with the world's largest and most influential economy did not take first place on the Legatum Institute's list. Although its economy is highly regarded around the world, the country has problems in the form of income inequality.

13. Canada

Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images.

The success of America's northern neighbor is heavily dependent on oil. Its GDP growth suffered after major wildfires disrupted oil production in Alberta. However, Canada remains an attractive business destination, and since the election of Donald Trump as US President, many Americans have expressed a desire to move to the country.

12. Finland

A worker prepares the site for the Ski Jumping World Cup on March 13, 2007. Photo: REUTERS

The paper industry is one of the largest contributors to the country's GDP, and that's because Finland has a lot of trees. The country is famous for its unconventional economic methods and has undertaken a number of major experiments with basic income in recent years.

11. Austria

Another European country on the Legatum Institute list. Austria's economy ranks 29th in size in the world, despite the fact that its population is less than nine million.

10. UK

Night view of Canary Wharf. Photo: Getty

This Asian city-state is not only a major financial center and one of the busiest ports in the world. The Port of Singapore handles more than 32 million cargo annually.

7. Norway

Norway's economy is heavily dependent on oil production in the North Sea. When oil prices began to fluctuate in 2014, the country faced difficulties. Despite this, the country still remains afloat, and Norway’s huge fund of national wealth is the envy of the whole world.

6. Denmark

The country's nominal GDP is more than $300 billion. Denmark is included in the list of 40 countries with the largest economies in the world. According to the GINI index, Denmark has the lowest level of income inequality.

5. Germany

Germany is the engine of success of the European economy and is formally second only to the United States, China and Japan. The country is the world's third-largest exporter, selling more than $1 trillion worth of goods abroad each year.

4. Switzerland

Residents of Switzerland are significantly richer than others. The country's economy is heavily dependent on its famous financial services industry.

3. Sweden

Like its Scandinavian neighbors, Sweden is a generous, socially-oriented state. This means that it has very high income taxes. Sweden was one of the first countries to experiment with negative interest rates to bring the country out of persistent inflation.

2. Netherlands

Farmers search for wilted flowers in tulip fields in Noordwijk on April 24, 2010. Photo: REUTERS

In 2015, the country's nominal GDP was more than $750 billion. Even though the Netherlands has a population of only 17 million people, the country performs very well in the global economy. It was in this country that the first stock exchange in its usual form arose at the beginning of the 17th century.

1. New Zealand

Topping the Legatum Institute's list is a country whose prosperity is heavily dependent on the dairy industry and, in particular, Fonterra, which is responsible for about 30% of the world's butter exports. Success for Fonterra means success for the whole country.

GDP growth during the crisis, the state of the economy, and an increase in average wages are factors that have allowed some countries to maintain leadership positions in the quality of life of the population. Based on the results of 2016, which states became more convenient for living, which ones left the TOP 10 and which ones still remain dream countries? About this in our article!

A good country is a healthy country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN and the World Bank, the TOP 10 countries with the healthiest populations look like this:

1. Iceland. Its primacy is due to the maximum number of health workers (more than 3.6 per 1 thousand people), the minimum number of people diagnosed with tuberculosis (only 2 per 1 thousand people) and the highest life expectancy in the world (more than 72 years for men and 74 for women).
2. Singapore. The minimum number of people suffering from obesity (1.8%) and high life expectancy (on average 82 years) allowed this city-state to take a high place in the ranking.
3. Sweden. The small number of tuberculosis patients (only 3 per 1 thousand people), coupled with minimal infant mortality, allowed it to take an honorable 2nd place.
4. Germany. More than 11% of the state’s GDP goes to healthcare (Germany spends more than 3,500 euros annually on the treatment of citizens).
5. Switzerland. The high ranking is due to the large number of doctors (3.6 per 1 thousand people)
6. Andorra. Healthcare spending in Andorra accounts for more than 8% of GDP, and the average life expectancy of the population exceeds 82 years.
7. Great Britain. This country is the only Western state that owns 95% of the medical institutions operating on its territory. More than 9.8% of GDP is spent on healthcare.
8. Finland. In this country, about 300 people fall ill with tuberculosis per year, while every year 30 thousand people are diagnosed with cancer (over 75% of patients are completely cured).
9. Netherlands. The country has a low incidence of tuberculosis (5.4 people per 1 thousand inhabitants) and a sufficient life expectancy - more than 81 years.
10. Canada. The Medicare healthcare system is the pride of this North American state, because it guarantees virtually free medical care to every resident. Expenditures on health care account for over 10% of GDP, and the life expectancy of citizens exceeds 80 years.

The worst countries in terms of the health of their citizens are African states: Swaziland, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic, Mali, etc. The ranking is based on data from researchers at Seattle University and the Bloomberg news agency.

WHO uses a special indicator to determine the quality of healthcare - life expectancy at birth. According to the World Health Organization ranking, Russia ranks 110th in terms of medical care. And although the healthcare system leaves much to be desired, the Russian Federation is ahead of other CIS countries, such as Kazakhstan (111th place), Tajikistan (115th), Armenia (116th), Uzbekistan (117th), Ukraine (151st), losing only to the Republic of Belarus (98th place) .

TOP 10 countries ideal for business

A strong economy is unthinkable without a successful business. In 2016, Forbes compiled a list of countries that are most convenient for doing business. It is noteworthy that out of 10 participants in the rating, 6 are EU countries:

1. Sweden;
2. New Zealand;
3. Hong Kong;
4. Ireland;
5. Great Britain;
6. Denmark;
7. Netherlands;
8. Finland;
9. Norway;
10. Canada.

The American publication has been forming the rating for 11 years, taking into account the level of bureaucracy, the amount of taxes, corruption, economic growth, financial and personal freedom of citizens - a total of 11 factors were taken into account. For 7 of them, Sweden was in the top ten, because its economy at the end of the year grew by 4.2 percent with a GDP of 493 billion US dollars. Data for the assessment were obtained from reports of the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, the non-governmental international anti-corruption organization Transparency International, etc.

In terms of economic development, Russia took 40th place, and in terms of the complexity of starting a business, it was in 26th position. In terms of the availability of electricity, the Russian Federation became 30th, in terms of the availability of loans it became 44th, in terms of the level of taxation - 45th, in terms of the complexity of obtaining construction rights, our country became 115th. According to the World Bank, the ideal country for business (without taking into account additional criteria, such as economic growth) is New Zealand, because “paying taxes is as easy as writing a check.”

The most prosperous countries in the world

Well, where we do not? The British non-profit organization The Legatum Institute has published a world ranking study of the most prosperous countries in the world. The most “prosperous” countries are determined taking into account economic and social indicators, business opportunities, levels of education and healthcare, social capital and personal freedoms of citizens. Experts assessed 149 countries, giving them scores ranging from 0 to 10 based on 89 criteria.

Based on the results of the analysis carried out in 2016, the following rating was compiled:

1. New Zealand (prosperity index - 79.28);
2. Norway (78.66);
3. Finland (78.56);
4. Switzerland (78.10);
5. Canada (77.67);
6. Australia (77.48);
7. Netherlands (77.44);
8. Sweden (77.43);
9. Denmark (77.37);
10. UK (77.18).

The purpose of the study is to study the social well-being of the countries of the world on a global scale. The Prosperity Index is a composite indicator that measures the achievements of countries in terms of well-being. In this list, Russia occupies 95th position (prosperity index - 54.73). The closest “neighbors” in the rating are Nepal and Moldova (94th and 96th places, respectively). Among the CIS countries, Russia has the best indicators: 25th place in the quality of education, 56th in environmental safety, 69th in entrepreneurship.

Russia's achievements are obvious - every year it moves to the top of the ranking. At the same time, the results should be viewed through the prism of political sentiment: the report of the Legatum Institute repeatedly used liberal clichés “Putin’s Russia”, “Soviet legacy”, “communist past”, etc. When compiling the rating, the British organization uses survey data from the previous year, which does not allow a 100% objective reflection of reality.

Rating of countries in the world by standard of living

The United Nations (UN) has been publishing a report on the quality of life of people around the world since 1990. The rating is based on the Human Development Index, or Humanity Development Index (HDI). This index allows you to measure the achievements of states in the field of healthcare, income, education, social services, etc.

The report was last published in 2015, and the best countries to live in were distributed in the UN ranking as follows:

1. Norway (0.94);
2. Australia (0.935);
3. Switzerland (0.93);
4. Denmark (0.923);
5. Netherlands (0.922);
6. Germany (0.916);
7. Ireland (0.916);
8. United States of America (0.916);
9. Canada (0.913);
10. New Zealand (0.913).

Russia is one of the countries with a high human development index (0.798) along with Belarus. Our country is somewhat ahead of Oman, Romania, Uruguay, slightly inferior to Montenegro. The countries with the worst HDI scores are in Africa: Niger, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Chad, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Mali.

1. Denmark (201.53);
2. Switzerland (196.44);
3. Australia (196.40);
4. New Zealand (196.09);
5. Germany (189.87);
6. Austria (187);
7. Netherlands (186.46);
8. Spain (184.96);
9. Finland (183.98);
10. United States of America (181.91).

The index was calculated without the use of government data or official reports, so it can be considered subjective and depoliticized. For calculations, a formula was used that takes into account factors such as the purchasing power of the population, the ratio of real estate costs to citizens’ incomes, safety and cost of living, quality of healthcare, climate, and even the situation on the roads (the fewer traffic jams, the better).

Russia ranks 55th on this list with a quality of life index of 86.53. It is slightly ahead of Ukraine and slightly inferior to Egypt and Singapore. Russia has shown good results in the real estate sector: the housing affordability index is 13.3 (this is only slightly higher than that of Austria, France, Estonia, and South Korea). The purchasing power index of Russians is two times lower than that of citizens of the leading countries on the list - only 52.6. But the cost of living index in Russia is one of the lowest (35.62). For comparison: in Switzerland it is 125.67, in Norway – 104.26.

The table of indices that determine the position of the listed countries looks like this:

Along with a high standard of living, relative affordability of housing, and high purchasing power of citizens, the leading countries in terms of living standards are also the most expensive to live in. The ranking of the most expensive countries to live in looks like this:

1. Switzerland – 126.03;
2. Norway – 118.59;
3. Venezuela – 111.51;
4. Iceland – 102.14;
5. Denmark – 100.06;
6. Australia - 99.32;
7. New Zealand - 93.71;
8. Singapore - 93.61;
9. Kuwait - 92.97;
10. UK – 92.19.

The TOP 10 was compiled based on data from the research company Movehub (UK). The index used (the Consumer Price Index, or CPI) takes into account the cost of food, utilities, transportation, gasoline and entertainment. Interesting fact: the index reflects the cost of living ratio in New York (if it is 80, then living in the country is 20% cheaper than in the Big Apple).

The most affordable countries for living include mainly the countries of Asia and Africa: India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Egypt, Algeria. The countries of Europe and North America still remain attractive, but quite expensive for living. The attractiveness is due to the excellent quality of medical and educational services. The best universities in the world are located on their territory: Harvard, Princeton and Yale, Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Many of the leaders in the listed ratings are countries with excellent ecology. According to Forbes, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway are the three cleanest and most favorable countries to live in in terms of climate and ecology. There are practically no harmful industries on their territory, and endless green meadows, mountains and clean natural reservoirs make living and relaxing there as beneficial as possible for health.

Let us note that many states are absolute leaders who have distinguished themselves in all respects. Thus, Norway, Iceland and Sweden can be safely called ideal for living, working, and tourism. Which countries, in your opinion, have provided their citizens with optimal living conditions and the highest standard of living? Share your personal experiences and opinions in the comments!

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