Since the end of the First World War, America remains by far the leading global power. Political divisions have not reduced its influence, even if China has begun its great catch-up.
26% of global wealth
In 1820, the country represented only 2% of global GDP: today its share exceeds a quarter of the world’s wealth. The amount, in 2023, of American GDP – 27,360 billion in current dollars – thus places the United States at the top of the economic powers. This is 10,000 billion more than Chinese GDP and nine times that of France.
+ 130% for accommodation
According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, real estate prices have more than doubled in twenty years, eventually becoming a black spot in the economy. Due to a lack of a sufficient supply of goods, housing accessibility entered into the electoral battle between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
$81,695 per capita
Americans are much richer than the French: while in 2012, the gross domestic product per capita of the United States (in purchasing power parity, according to the World Bank) was 10,000 dollars higher than that of the France, the gap rises to more than $20,000 in 2023. In twenty years, per capita income in the United States has doubled. The standard of living of the Chinese may have increased eightfold over the same period (24,500 dollars in 2023), but it remains in a ratio of one to three with that of the Americans.
126 medals
The United States took first place at the Paris Olympic Games. China (91 medals in total) is only on par with them in terms of the number of coronations (40 gold medals each).
168 embassies around the world
For a long time, the United States benefited from the leading diplomatic network on the planet. Since 2018, China has supplanted them with 173 embassies and 91 consulates (Global Diplomacy Index from the Lowy Institute).
16 American universities in the Top 20
American domination is unchallenged among the university elite. But competition is getting tougher: among the 500 universities in the Shanghai 2024 ranking, the United States is in 2nd place (114), behind the European Union (135).
400,000 dollars per helmet
The pilots of the F35 fighter planes carry a veritable treasure trove of technology on their heads. Manufactured by Collins Aerospace, it is proof of the United States’ massive investment in the military field, with a defense budget close to $900 billion.
11.2%, the share of greenhouse gas emissions
In 2022, the United States remained the second largest emitter of CO2 in the world, well behind China (29.2%) but ahead of India (7.3%) and the European Union (6.7%). ). Even if, since 2010, American emissions have seen a slight decline, thanks in particular to less use of coal, the country recorded record gas and oil production last year.
$35 trillion in debt
In June, the IMF warned of the systemic threat posed by the level of public debt in the United States. It increases by 1,000 billion every hundred days.
5,044 nuclear warheads
The United States has one of the largest military arsenals in the world, with 5,044 nuclear warheads, including 1,336 deployed. Russia remains the best equipped, with 5,580 warheads, including 1,710 deployed. Far behind, but progressing, China.