How does the U.S. economy stack up internationally? econHQ tracks 10 major economies — the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom — using internationally comparable data from the OECD, the IMF, the Bank for International Settlements and the Federal Reserve.
Key takeaways
Inflation is currently highest in Mexico (5.6%) and lowest in China (-0.1%), based on each country’s latest year-over-year CPI reading.
Unemployment is lowest in Germany (4.0%) and highest in Spain (10.0%).
Real GDP growth over the latest year was fastest in New Zealand (5.7%) and slowest in France (0.5%).
Latest available reading for each country; reporting dates differ. U.S. policy rate is the effective federal funds rate; the euro-area members share the European Central Bank’s rate. Sources: OECD, IMF, BIS, BLS, BEA and the Federal Reserve, via FRED.
Unemployment rate by country
Click a colored country for its full profile. Gray countries are not yet covered.
Source: OECD and BLS via FRED. Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).
How to compare economies fairly
Headline numbers are not always measured the same way across countries. A few things to keep in mind:
GDP growth. The U.S. reports quarterly growth at an annualized rate; most other countries report quarter-on-quarter or year-on-year changes. This page uses year-over-year growth for every country so the figures line up.
Inflation. Each country uses its own consumer price index, and the baskets differ. The U.S. CPI, for example, gives housing costs — including the estimated rent of owner-occupied homes — a much larger weight than most European price indexes do.
Unemployment. Rates are compiled to International Labour Organization definitions, which makes them broadly comparable, though survey methods differ.
Interest rates. Germany, France and Spain share the European Central Bank’s policy rate, but their government bond yields differ because investors price each government’s credit separately.