Comparative Indicators of National Power, 2005

The charts below document fourteen objective indicators that pertain to the relative potential power of eighteen world states.  Overall, these charts can inform our thinking about the distribution of power in the contemporary world.  Some can be read to show a Uni-polar System, in which the U.S.A. possesses attributes needed to become the predominant actor.  Others can be read to show signs of an emerging many centered world, or a Multi-polar System. 

The charts depict:

Overall Economy: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Gross Domestic Product per capita GDP per capita: 2001 vs 2005	Exports: Gross Exports 2005 Gross Exports 2001 versus 2005 Gross Exports as percent of GDP	Imports Gross imports Gross imports: 2001 versus 2005
Military Expenditures Military Expenditures 2005 Military Expenditures: 2001 versus 2005 Military Expenditures: percent of GDP	Arms Sales: percent of total world arms exports	Influence in International Organizations Percentage of vote in International Monetary Fund Percentage of budget of United Nations

The exact figures from which the charts were drawn are available from the sources listed and in most cases linked below each chart.

Key to the charts: In these charts PRC means China; JA = Japan; FRG = Germany; FR = France; UK = the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; RU = Russia; IN = India; PAK = Pakistan; IRI = the Islamic Republic of Iran; IQ = Iraq; MX = Mexico; TK = Turkey; INA = Indonesia; NK = North Korea; SK = South Korea; BR = Brazil; and AR = Argentina.

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source: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

 

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source: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

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 source: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html 

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source: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html 

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2005 source: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html 2001 source: CIA Factbook of the Countries of the World, 2002.

source: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

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source: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

 

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source : US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency: World Military Expenditures and Arms Transactions (1998).

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source: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

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source: The United Nations (circa 1998)