Unlock stock picks and a broker-level newsfeed that powers Wall Street.

25 Largest Economies in the World in 2024

In This Article:

In this article, we will be navigating through the 25 largest economies in the world in 2024. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Largest Economies in the World in 2024.

2023: An Uncertain Year for the Global Economy

2023 was the year when the global economy witnessed an uneven recovery from the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Overall, the economic activity was unable to return to pre-pandemic levels in the emerging market and developing economies. Tightening monetary policies against inflation also played a primary role in limiting a global economic rebound. According to the projections reported by the IMF in October 2023, advanced economies were to experience an economic slowdown in 2023. It was also forecasted that the growth for emerging markets and developing economies would decline modestly.

Let’s analyze how the world’s leading economies such as the United States, China, and India faced economic uncertainty in 2023. The United States performed better than expected due to the resilience shown by its labor market and housing market. Although the Federal Reserve continued to engage in interest rate hikes, unemployment was only 3.7% during the third quarter of 2023. Homeowners were also capable of sustaining their net worth amid high home prices.

China, the world’s second-largest economy, was referred to as a burden to global economic growth in 2023. On December 29, 2023, CNN reported that various challenges restrict progress for China. The slowdown effect on the overall economy in 2023 resulted from the strong lockdowns imposed on Beijing during the pandemic’s outbreak. Due to the rising scrutiny, foreign direct investment in China experienced a strong decline during the third quarter of 2023. Other limiting factors include a property crisis and high unemployment rates among the youth. Another economic issue relates to demographics such as the declining fertility rates which could reduce the labor supply and increase the debt burden for the country in the future. Against the structural problems in the economy, the Chinese government appears to be hopeful for the economy to rebound.

During a challenging global economic environment, India has emerged as a resilient power which contributed 16% to the world’s growth in 2023. On January 15, the World Economic Forum reported that India is all set to become the world’s third-largest economy over the next five years. Between 2022 and 2023, the country was successful in achieving the second-highest growth rate among other G20 nations. Apart from fostering innovation and technology, India has also been investing in public infrastructure.