It has just surpassed Japan.
California’s economy has surpassed Japan’s, making the Golden state the fourth largest economy in the world, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday.
The state’s nominal GDP reached $4.1tn, according to data from the International Monetary Fund and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, edging out Japan’s $4.02tn nominal GDP. California now ranks behind the US at $29.18tn, China at $18.74tn and Germany at $4.65tn.
This took me by surprise. I knew that California had a large economy but did not realize that it was this large, and because of its high growth rate, maybe on track to become even larger than Germany and be third.
The state has outperformed the world’s top economies with a growth rate in 2024 of 6% compared with the US’s 5.3%, China’s 2.6% and Germany’s 2.9%. This week’s new rankings come six years after California surpassed the United Kingdom and became the world’s fifth largest economy.
The state’s population is just under 40 million, which places it at #39 in rankings of population by country, just below Canada. The per capita GDP of California is $102,500 while that of the rest of the US is $73,529.
Like many other Democratic states, it sends more to the federal government than it receives from them, whereas most Republican states receive more than they send. So Republicans, who love to whine about how ‘their’ money goes to the undeserving, are in reality the ones who are living off the wealth of others.
California is a major contributor to economic growth nationally, with the money it sends to the federal government outpacing what it receives in federal funding by $83bn, according to a statement from Newsom’s office.
Despite an enormous shortage of affordable housing that has fueled a homelessness crisis in the state, the population has grown in recent years. Meanwhile, last year the state reported its tourism spending had hit an all-time high – though California has seen a drop in some areas.
Canadian tourism in California was down 12% in February compared with the same month last year amid Trump’s tariff war. In response, the state has announced a new campaign to draw Canadians back, while one city has put up pro-Canada signs across its downtown.
But the governor Gavin Newsom warns that California’s economy could be hurt by Trump’s actions.