World leaders gathered in Evian this week for the G7 summit, representing some of the world's biggest economies. The largest among them by far is the United States, which produces $30.8 trillion in annual output. The G7 collectively accounts for $52 trillion, nearly two-thirds more than the Brics group, at $31 trillion.
In our chart of the week, it’s clear to see the G7’s dominance over the rest of the world as a formidable economic bloc. But GDP, especially nominal GDP, which measures the total market value of goods and services produced in an economy, only provides a snapshot of an economy's strength.
Growth trajectories from many G7 economies show that Germany, the EU's largest economy, grew by 0.2 per cent in 2025, Italy by 0.5 per cent and France by 0.9 per cent. The G7’s average GDP growth in 2025 sat just below 2 per cent.
On the other side of the coin, Brics member states enjoyed faster growth in the same year: India by 7.6 per cent, Ethiopia by 9.2 per cent, Indonesia by 5.1 per cent, the UAE by 5.8 per cent and China by 5 per cent. The average Brics growth rate is running at more than double that of the G7.
The raw GDP gap between the two blocs is real and large. But it is also a measure of accumulated wealth, built over decades of industrial development, institutional stability and financial dominance, particularly in the West. What growth rates measure is momentum, and right now, the momentum sits firmly outside the G7 and towards the east.
The G7 retains its dominance of institutional power, wealth per capita and financial influence. But the Evian summit's expanded guest list suggests that this year its members understand how economic and political headwinds are shifting.
Outside the two blocs, more than 100 economies account for about $39 trillion in output, according to the International Monetary Fund. The 10 largest among them, including Spain, South Korea, Australia, Mexico and Turkey, each produces between $1.6 trillion and $1.9 trillion.
