The World in 2018

7.6 billion people producing an estimated global GDP of 131 trillion dollars (measured in purchasing power parity), that is the world in 2018. In its latest forecast, the International Monetary Fund predicts predicts a continuing global economic growth of 3.9%, while according to the United Nations Population Division an extra 83 million people will populate this planet (1.9% growth). The following two cartograms show, how the distribution of wealth and people looks this year by resizing each country according to the total number of people (top)/GDP output (bottom):

Mapping the world in 2018: Cartograms of global GDP and population
(click for larger version)

This unequal shape of the world has long become a challenge for the global community and therefore also took centre stage in many debates at the World Economic Forum: “The global context has changed dramatically: geostrategic fissures have re-emerged on multiple fronts with wide-ranging political, economic and social consequences. Realpolitik is no longer just a relic of the Cold War. Economic prosperity and social cohesion are not one and the same. The global commons cannot protect or heal itself.

The content on this page has been created by Worldmapper using data by IMF, OECD, WorldBank and UNDP (2018). Please contact me for further details on the terms of use.