Explore and compare key economic indicators around the world. Choose a metric, search for a country, or click the map to see the latest available data.
How to use the Economic Explorer
Choose an economic indicator, such as GDP, GDP per capita, GDP growth, inflation, unemployment, or population, and the map colors each country by its latest value. Click a country, or search for it, to see a profile with its key economic numbers side by side, including youth unemployment and age structure.
What the indicators mean
- GDP (gross domestic product) – the total value of all goods and services a country produces in a year, in current US dollars. It measures the size of an economy.
- GDP per capita – GDP divided by population. It’s a rough measure of average income and living standards.
- GDP growth – how much the economy grew or shrank compared with the year before, after removing the effect of inflation.
- Inflation – how fast consumer prices are rising, based on the consumer price index (CPI).
- Unemployment – the share of people in the labor force who want a job and are looking for one, but don’t have one.
Comparing countries: examples from the latest data
- GDP per capita in 2025 was about $90,000 in the United States, $60,500 in Germany, $36,200 in South Korea, $36,000 in Japan, $13,900 in China, and $2,700 in India.
- GDP growth in 2025 was about 7.6% in India and 5.0% in China, but around 1% in South Korea and Japan, and close to zero in Germany. Fast-growing economies are usually those that are still catching up.
- Inflation in 2025 was around 2–3% in many large economies, which is close to what most central banks aim for. In Nigeria, it was about 23%.
Reading economic numbers carefully
- Size is not the same as wealth. India has one of the largest economies in the world, but because it has so many people, its GDP per capita is much lower.
- Exchange rates matter. GDP in US dollars rises and falls with currency movements. Economists often use “purchasing power parity” (PPP) to compare living standards, because a dollar buys more in some countries than in others.
- Averages hide differences. GDP per capita doesn’t show how income is shared. See the Gini index in the Development & Living Standards Explorer for inequality.
- Unemployment can look low in countries where many people work informally or in farming. A low rate doesn’t always mean good jobs are easy to find.
Where the data comes from
All figures come from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators, which collect data from national statistics offices, the International Monetary Fund, and the International Labour Organization. Each value shows the most recent year available, and some countries report later than others.
Common questions
Why is GDP growth sometimes negative?
The economy produced less than the year before, as many countries did during the 2020 pandemic. Two quarters of decline in a row is often called a recession.
What is a “healthy” inflation rate?
Many central banks, including the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of Korea, target around 2% a year.
Explore more
- Trade Explorer – exports, imports, and trade openness
- Compound Interest Calculator – see how inflation and growth compound over time
- Population Explorer – the people behind the numbers