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Analytical Studies > Fact Sheets

G8 Capabilities: Are They in Decline?

John Kirton and Jenilee Guebert, G8 Research Group
July 5, 2008

When today’s G8 was founded with its six members (United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, Italy and Canada) in 1975, the group commanded 69.01% of the world’s capabilities as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) in the market exchange rates. Today, in 2008, the G8 has eight country members plus the European Union, with its own 27 members, and contains 72.55% of the world’s capabilities. This suggests that the G8’s capability in the world has been on the rise and has grown to an extent that allows it to serve as an effective centre of global governance in most ways. To be sure, emerging powers outside the G8 — notably China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa — have also been on the rise, but the G8 has more than kept pace by adding Canada, an ever expanding EU, East Germany as part of today’s united Germany and the Russian Federation.

Real Historical Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Baseline Countries
(in billions of 2000 U.S. dollars)

Notes: The data includes the countries of the European Union represented for the year in question.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, adjusted to 2000 base and estimated and projected values developed by the Economic Research Service.

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