Economy · Data story
China vs. the US: which economy is bigger? GDP at PPP
By ChartGlow · · 5 min read
Which economy is bigger depends on the measuring stick. In the World Bank’s 2025 GDP series at purchasing power parity, China recorded 35.3 trillion constant 2021 international dollars, against 26.3 trillion for the United States. China’s value was about 34% higher on this measure. This compares aggregate output adjusted for price differences, rather than GDP translated at market exchange rates.
Six economies in motion, 1990–2025
China / United States, 2025
1.34×
An aggregate output comparison at PPP. It does not measure average personal income or purchasing power per person.
India’s change
India’s value rose from 1.9 trillion in 1990 to 14.7 trillion in 2025: about 7.9 times the initial value, using the same price basis.
The endpoint values
This table compares the first and last reported years in the video. The downloadable CSV contains all 216 annual observations. Values below are rounded to one decimal place, in trillions of constant 2021 international dollars.
| Economy | 1990 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1.9 | 35.3 |
| United States | 11.1 | 26.3 |
| India | 1.9 | 14.7 |
| Japan | 4.5 | 6.0 |
| Germany | 3.4 | 5.2 |
| United Kingdom | 1.9 | 3.8 |
China’s reported value first exceeds the US value in 2016 in this annual constant-2021-price series: 21.9 versus 21.1 trillion. The year is specific to this indicator and data vintage. Historical estimates and PPP benchmarks can change; a different series may give a different crossover date.
Use this project Download the chart data216 observations · 6 economies × 36 years · 1990–2025
Use this CSV or adapt the comparison →A bigger total is a specific claim
Observed: China rises relative to the US in this series, and India’s reported aggregate grows substantially between the two endpoints. The chart compares six chosen economies; it is not a world top-six ranking. Countries omitted from the selection can have higher values than some shown here.
Interpretation: PPP adjusts for differences in price levels to compare economic output on a common basis. Constant 2021 international dollars also use a fixed reference-price basis over time. This indicator differs from nominal GDP at current exchange rates.
Aggregate GDP is not GDP per person, median income, household wealth or a measure of inequality. Population matters to the total. Nor does one output indicator establish geopolitical, military or diplomatic power. No forecast or causal explanation follows from this chart alone.
Method, sources and limits
The source is NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.KD — GDP, PPP (constant 2021 international $), World Bank World Development Indicators. The source metadata credits ICP, Eurostat/OECD PPP programmes, World Bank estimates and national-account sources. Read the indicator methodology and series page.
We selected the United States, China, India, Japan, Germany and the UK. A dated API extract, checked on 7 October 2026, queried 1990–2026 and found non-null values through 2025 for all six. The API dataset reports its last update as 13 July 2026. Later revisions may alter values.
Each raw value was divided by 1,000,000,000,000. The CSV retains six decimal places, while the video and endpoint table show one. All annual points are values reported by WDI; the source itself uses benchmark PPPs, extrapolations and estimates. Intermediate animation frames do not add observations. No missing value was replaced with zero.
Data reuse is under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators; changes: six-economy selection, unit conversion, rounding and animated presentation. No World Bank endorsement is implied. The conceptual background was generated using the available Codex image tool; native country flags identify the six series.
Use the exact data or make your own comparison
Choose the CSV to reproduce this article’s 216 published observations, or adapt a request in ChartGlow. The starting comparison is total GDP at PPP for six selected economies, 1990–2025, on a constant 2021 price basis.
Reproduce the 216 observations
The CSV is already in trillions of constant 2021 international dollars, rounded to six decimal places. Do not divide these values again. Importing it preserves the published values, without copying the video’s styling.
- Download and check the CSV. Open New chart, sign in if asked, then choose Upload a file and select it yourself. This creates a chart directly.
- In Data, check 216 rows. In Fields, map Entity Column → Country, Time Column → Year, and Value / Metric Column → GDP trillion intl$; set time Order to Ascending.
- Choose Chart → Chart Type → Bar. Use Add Country Flags for the six countries. Check Preview against the values above; keep the trillions unit, constant 2021 basis and World Bank source visible.
In an existing chart: Data → Add data → CSV / Excel File (on mobile, Data is the Edit data icon). Review before Replace data, which replaces the whole table; Cancel keeps your data.
Follow the native import steps →Adapt your economies, measure or years
Review the request below, then edit its three fields in Generate Dataset. Choose other economies or years. If you switch to nominal GDP or GDP per person, change the indicator, unit and source in the metric field too.
This asks for data to review; it does not reproduce or guarantee the exact CSV, all 216 observations, annual coverage or this article’s figures. The six economies are a selection, not a world top-six ranking.
Review the GDP PPP request →A starting request: six economies, GDP at PPP
- Metric to track
- Annual total GDP at purchasing power parity, World Bank WDI indicator NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.KD, in constant 2021 international dollars. Return full source values, not trillions or compact labels, and retain annual source references. Flag missing observations without inventing or filling them. This is aggregate GDP, not nominal GDP or GDP per capita.
- Entities to compare (optional)
- United States, China, India, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom (six selected economies, not a world ranking)
- Period to cover
- 1990–2025
Choose Review this request. After signing in in the same tab, choose Use this illustrative request in Generate Dataset. All three fields stay editable; an existing draft is kept. Nothing is generated, applied or created automatically.
Review this requestGeneration is voluntary and may use AI credits. Review proposed sources, units, dates, missing values and reuse rights before applying data. Then select Chart → Chart Type → Bar manually; the request does not set it.
The request asks for full constant 2021 international dollar values. For the article’s trillions scale, divide full dollar values by 1,000,000,000,000 once and update the unit label. Check the returned unit first: values already in trillions must not be divided again. Compact Numbers changes display labels, not the underlying data or price basis. No automatic conversion is promised.
In an existing project, copy the fields into Data / Edit data → AI Assistant → Generate Dataset. This link does not prefill an existing chart. Keep the World Bank reference and the selected indicator beside your comparison.