Gross world product
Combined gross national product of all the countries in the world
The gross world product (GWP), also known as gross world income (GWI), is the combined gross national income (previously, the "gross national product") of all the countries in the world. Because imports and exports balance exactly when considering the whole world, this also equals the total global gross domestic product (GDP).
In purchasing-power-parity (PPP) terms, the World Bank estimated the size of the global economy at approximately $180.0 trillion in 2025, measured in constant 2021 international dollars. Compared to 2015, where the GWP was estimated at around $133.0 trillion (constant 2021 international $), this is an increase of about 35.4%. Based on the same data, the GWP (PPP) grew at an average compounded annual growth rate of approximately 3.36% between 2000 and 2025, while the GWP (PPP) per capita grew by an average 2.18% per year during the same period.
Historically, according to DeLong's 1998 estimates, GWP growth was extremely slow for hundreds of thousands of years when all humans lived as hunter-gatherers. It then rose modestly with the Neolithic Revolution, and again from roughly 4000 BCE onwards when complex societies started to emerge. A period of relative stagnation or mild decline happened between around 1200 and the second half of the 14th century. After this, growth resumed at a somewhat higher and more stable rate from the 1400s through the 1600s. With the Industrial Revolution economic growth accelerated sharply reaching the high compound annual growth rates we experience today.
01Recent growth
The table below gives recent values and year-on-year percentage changes for overall GWP growth from 2015 through 2025, according to the World Bank's world GDP (PPP) estimates in constant 2021 international dollars. Percentage-change is calculated year-on-year.
| Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GWP | 132.98 | 137.27 | 142.49 | 147.69 | 152.05 | 147.75 | 157.41 | 163.14 | 168.47 | 174.16 | 180.03 |
| Annual growth rate (%) | , | +3.23 | +3.80 | +3.65 | +2.95 | −2.83 | +6.54 | +3.64 | +3.27 | +3.38 | +3.37 |
The following table shows the recent development of the GWP per capita, measured in constant 2021 international dollars. Percentage-change is calculated year-on-year.
| Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GWP per capita | 17,871 | 18,234 | 18,715 | 19,189 | 19,551 | 18,812 | 19,876 | 20,422 | 20,895 | 21,393 | 21,914 |
| Annual growth rate (%) | , | +2.03 | +2.64 | +2.53 | +1.89 | −3.78 | +5.66 | +2.75 | +2.32 | +2.38 | +2.44 |
02Historical and prehistorical estimates
The following GWP data is based on world GDP (PPP) estimates in 2021 constant international dollars from the World Bank. Historical real GWP per capita (PPP) is sourced from the World Bank and measured in constant 2021 international dollars. "Trillion" in the table below refers to the short scale usage of the term, where 1 trillion = 1,000 billion = 1011.
| Year | GWP, PPP (trillions, 2021 Intl$) | Compound annual growth rate (Real GWP, PPP) | GWP per capita, PPP (2021 Intl$) | Compound annual growth rate (Real GWP per capita, PPP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 180.03 | 4.03% | 21,914 | +3.10% |
| 2020 | 147.75 | 2.13% | 18,812 | +1.03% |
| 2015 | 132.98 | 3.43% | 17,871 | +2.17% |
| 2010 | 112.37 | 3.30% | 16,051 | +2.23% |
| 2005 | 95.54 | 3.94% | 14,377 | +2.38% |
| 2000 | 78.75 | 3.71% | 12,781 | +2.24% |
| 1995 | 65.64 | +1.90% | 11,443 | +0.30% |
| 1990 | 59.75 | , | 11,275 | , |
In 1998, economic historian J. Bradford DeLong estimated the total GWP in 1990 U.S. dollars for the main years between one million years BCE and 2000 CE (shown in the table below). "Billion" in the table below refers to the short scale usage of the term, where 1 billion = 1,000 million = 109.
| Year | GWP, PPP (billions, 1990 Intl$) | Compound annual growth rate (Real GWP, PPP) |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 CE | 33,644.33 | +4.09% |
| 1990 CE | 27,539.57 | +4.14% |
| 1985 CE | 22,481.11 | +3.62% |
| 1980 CE | 18,818.44 | +4.43% |
| 1975 CE | 15,149.42 | +4.53% |
| 1970 CE | 12,137.94 | +5.87% |
| 1965 CE | 9,126.98 | +5.89% |
| 1960 CE | 6,855.25 | +4.77% |
| 1955 CE | 5,430.44 | +5.88% |
| 1950 CE | 4,081.81 | +3.12% |
| 1940 CE | 3,001.36 | +2.91% |
| 1930 CE | 2,253.81 | +1.4% |
| 1925 CE | 2,102.88 | +3.94% |
| 1920 CE | 1,733.67 | +2.29% |
| 1900 CE | 1,102.96 | +2.69% |
| 1875 CE | 568.08 | +1.84% |
| 1850 CE | 359.90 | +1.45% |
| 1800 CE | 175.24 | +0.62% |
| 1750 CE | 128.51 | +0.51% |
| 1700 CE | 99.80 | +0.40% |
| 1650 CE | 81.74 | +0.12% |
| 1600 CE | 77.01 | +0.27% |
| 1500 CE | 58.67 | +0.27% |
| 1400 CE | 44.92 | +0.21% |
| 1350 CE | 40.50 | +0.47% |
| 1300 CE | 32.09 | -0.21% |
| 1250 CE | 35.58 | -0.10% |
| 1200 CE | 37.44 | -0.056% |
| 1100 CE | 39.60 | +0.11% |
| 1000 CE | 35.31 | +0.11% |
| 900 CE | 31.68 | +0.23% |
| 800 CE | 25.23 | +0.074% |
| 700 CE | 23.44 | +0.12% |
| 600 CE | 20.86 | +0.046% |
| 500 CE | 19.92 | +0.077% |
| 400 CE | 18.44 | +0.056% |
| 350 CE | 17.93 | -0.022% |
| 200 CE | 18.54 | +0.031% |
| 14 CE | 17.50 | -0.427% |
| 1 CE | 18.50 | +0.042% |
| 200 BCE | 17.00 | +0.030% |
| 400 BCE | 16.02 | +0.155% |
| 500 BCE | 13.72 | +0.115% |
| 800 BCE | 9.72 | +0.213% |
| 1000 BCE | 6.35 | +0.063% |
| 1600 BCE | 4.36 | +0.092% |
| 2000 BCE | 3.02 | +0.064% |
| 3000 BCE | 1.59 | +0.073% |
| 4000 BCE | 0.77 | +0.041% |
| 5000 BCE | 0.51 | +0.0057% |
| 8000 BCE | 0.43 | +0.0075% |
| 10,000 BCE | 0.37 | +0.0012% |
| 25,000 BCE | 0.31 | +0.00045% |
| 300,000 BCE | 0.09 | +0.00031% |
| 1,000,000 BCE | 0.01 | , |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Gross world product”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- World GDP over the last two millennia, OWID.svg by Our World In Data, CC BY 3.0
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