In 1990, Japan was predicted by some experts to pass the U.S.It was half the size of US then. Now it is one third our size. China will not pass us if the government would just leave the economy alone.
Note that the vertical axis range changed between the two graphs. This is analyst “spin” on numbers, to show relative size among economies.
The more important point of the graphs is really that the world economy GREW so much that the value of the U.S. economy has MORE THAN DOUBLED in these 22 years. And we think we’ve had a bad run!
Yes, China grew.
Another more important graph would be GDP per Head, in which dividing that Chinese GDP by over 1 billion people still leaves them relatively poor.
China can keep copying us, like the Japanese did for a long time. And, the Chinese can surpass us in some things like the Japanese do. But there is only one leading economy in the world, and if we don’t let the likes of 0bama screw it up for an additional 4 years, we can remain on the top of the heap just fine, while we more than double in the next 22 years!
Optimism, folks!
Also, note that the societies that are / were relatively socialist declined proportionately, and those that are relatively or increasingly capitalist are increasing proportionately.
I’ve always thought someone should open a Mutual Fund predicated on Increasing FREEDOM. Societies that open their economies succeed, and that’s an investment bet you can make on a grand, long term scale.
Anyone have a chart of GDP growth?
In that chart we are behind like Somalia and Bangladesh.
Just to show you I don’t make this stuff up here is a chart of 2011 GDP growth by countries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_real_GDP_growth_rate_(latest_year)#2011_list
At 159, this chart puts the US growth behind most countries and indeed behind most 3rd world countries.