The 20 Wealthiest Countries In 2013

The world’s wealthiest countries may surprise you.

Some nations reach wealth because they’re sitting on impressive amounts of mineral resources, others because they have invested heavily in industry and technology, and others because they are touristic havens generating impressive revenues each year. Whatever the reason that boosts these countries’ economies, one of the most objective indicators we can use in ranking the world’s wealthiest nations is GDP (gross domestic product).

GDP represents the market value of all official final services and products within a country in a specific time frame. The GDP per capita, on the other hand, is an estimate based on population size and it represents an indicator used to rank the standard of living within a nation, rather than the entire wealth of the country. With this being said, we have compiled a list of the world’s 20 wealthiest countries in 2013, ranking them according to GDP. We have also included the increase in GDP compared with figures for 2008, to see how these nations have improved over the last 5 years. The data used for the countdown was taken from figures released by the International Monetary Fund (April 2013 statistics).

Although the US is currently the undisputed leader, with a GDP of $16.238 trillion, its growth rate in comparison to the 2008 GDP (%13.6) is less than one third that of the second wealthiest country, China, with a mind-blowing increase of 65.8%.

Apart from the US and China, highlights also include Taiwan, the United Kingdom, India, and Germany. Let’s take a look at the countdown, in a style similar to our coverage of the most dangerous places in the world.

Continue reading for the world’s wealthiest countries:

No. 20: Taiwan

800px-Taipei_night_birdeye2Public Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 945.5 billion

Increase from 2008 (%): 27.4

No. 19: Saudi Arabia

800px-Masjid_Nabawi._Medina,_Saudi_Arabia-2Public Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 962.1 billion

Increase from 2008 (%): 42.9

No. 18: Iran

800px-Eskan_TehranPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 1.003 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 18.7

No. 17: Australia

800px-ParlTrianglePublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 1.016 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 22.8

No. 16: Turkey

800px-Istanbul_ortaköy_camiPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 1.181 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 29.2

No. 15: Indonesia

Gerbang_Jakarta_Islamic_CentrePublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 1.315 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 44.4%

No. 14: Spain

800px-Barcelona_from_MNACPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 1.412 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 1

No. 13: Canada

Ottawa_from_McKenzie_King_Bridge

Public Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 1.535 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 14.8

No. 12: South Korea

800px-Looking_east_along_the_north_bank_of_the_Han_from_Seogang_BridgePublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 1.687 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 25.3%

No. 11: Italy

800px-Colosseum_11-7-2003Public Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($):1.848 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 19.4%

No. 10: Mexico

800px-BicycleSundayPaseoReformaDFPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($):1.848 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%):19.4%

No. 9: France

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 2.290 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 7.5

No. 8: United Kingdom

Houses.of.parliament.overall.arpPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 2.391 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 7.5%

No. 7: Brazil

800px-Boa_viagemPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 2.467 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 23.6%

No. 6: Russia

800px-St_Petersburg_Church_of_the_Savior_on_BloodPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 2.641

Increase from 2008 (%): 16

No. 5: Germany

800px-Frankfurter_Tor_Westansicht_Berlin_April_2006_022Public Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 3.270 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%):11.6

No. 4: Japan

800px-Akihabara_as_seen_from_Mansei_bridge,_Tokyo,_JapanPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 4.779 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 10

No. 3: India

Newdelhiskyline10msPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 5.032 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 49.4

No. 2: China

Beijing_northeastPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($):13.623 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 65.8%

No. 1: USA

37thStreetPublic Domain Image: Public Domain

GDP ($): 16.238 trillion

Increase from 2008 (%): 13.6