Pew Research Center Report: 42% Believe That China is World's Leading Economic Power

According to a recently released research report from the Pew Research Center titled "Global Opinion of Obama Slips, International Policies Faulted", 42% of those surveyed said they believe that China is the world's leading economic power (note: people from 14 different nations were surveyed).

According to the Pew Research Center, just 36% of those surveyed said they believe that the United States is currently the world's leading economic power.

Let's look at how the numbers have changed since the onset of the "Great Recession" in 2008:

"Q. Who is World's Leading Economic Power?"

2008

United States - 45%
China - 22%

2009

United States - 46%
China - 27%

2010

United States - 40%
China - 36%

2011

United States - 41%
China - 35%

2012

China - 42%
United States - 36%

According to the report, "perceptions about the global economic balance of power have been shifting."

Of the countries that were surveyed, just two (Turkey and Mexico) had over 50% of the respondents saying that the United States was the world's leading economic power.

58% of those who were surveyed in Britain, on the other hand, said that China was the world's leading economic power.

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The United States is still far out in front of China in terms of total GDP.

In 2010, the United States had a Gross Domestic Product of $14.66 trillion. Number two on the list was China ($5.88 trillion), and number three was Japan ($5.47 trillion).

China's GDP growth has been rapid, however - in 1995, China reported a full-year GDP number of $728 billion. This made them the world's eighth largest economy at the time.

Goldman Sachs has estimated that China's economy will become the world's largest sometime between 2025 and 2030.

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So, in short - while the United States still has the world's largest economy (by far), China's rapid growth has many believing that they are the world's leading economic power.

Source: Pew Research Center (*.pdf)

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