California has overtaken Japan as the world’s fourth-biggest economy.
The only economies that are bigger than California’s are those of the United States as a whole, China, and Germany.
According to data from the International Monetary Fund and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, California’s GDP is now $4.1 trillion. That of Japan is $4 trillion.
California’s economy is about ten times the size of South Africa’s, despite the state having only 40 million people, compared to South Africa’s population of about 60 million.
Gavin Newson, the state’s Democrat governor and potential 2028 Presidential candidate for that party, said: “While we celebrate this success, we recognise that our progress is threatened by the reckless tariff policies of the current federal administration.” This was in reference to the current tariff regime implemented by US President Donald Trump, which has caused global economic uncertainty.