With nationalism on the rise and cross-border trade flows stagnating, economies are growing more protectionist. At the same time, demographic shifts are driving economic growth and productivity in India and Asia, which could shift the global power balance.
This graphic ranks world superpowers in 2024, based on analysis from Ray Dalio’s Great Powers Index 2024.
The Strength of Major Nations in 2024
Below, we show the total strength of world superpowers, based on a wide range of metrics including economic output, military strength, and trade. Additionally, we show per capita strength, indicating a country’s efficiency relative to its population:
| Country | Total Strength | Per Capita Strength |
|---|---|---|
 U.S. |
0.89 | 0.71 |
 China |
0.80 | 0.30 |
 Eurozone |
0.56 | 0.43 |
 Germany |
0.38 | 0.54 |
 Japan |
0.33 | 0.40 |
 South Korea |
0.32 | 0.54 |
 India |
0.30 | 0.07 |
 UK |
0.29 | 0.46 |
 France |
0.27 | 0.45 |
 Russia |
0.26 | 0.28 |
The U.S. remains the world’s foremost superpower, bolstered by its dominance in global financial markets and technological innovation.
As the world’s largest exporter, China follows next, driven by its strength in trade and economic output. As one example, trade with Latin America has surged from $18 billion in 2022 to $450 billion in 2022. Strengthening its global position further is China’s growing military might. Today, the country has the world’s largest naval fleet and a highly modernized defense sector.
India, ranking in 7th, is projected to see the fastest real GDP growth over the next decade across major economies. Powering its growth is vast infrastructure spending and a young demographic. Yet on a per capita basis, India falls last, likely due to lower average per capita incomes and an uneven distribution of wealth.
Source: Visual Capitalist
