California’s economy overtakes Japan’s to become fourth largest in world

The state’s nominal GDP reached €3.61 trillion, edging out Japan’s €3.54tn, ranking it behind the US, China and Germany

Along with the tech and entertainment industry capitals, the state, which has a population of nearly 40 million people, is the centre for US manufacturing output and is the country’s largest agricultural producer.

California’s economy has surpassed Japan’s, making the US state the fourth-largest economy in the world, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday.

The state’s nominal GDP reached €3.61 trillion, according to data from the International Monetary Fund and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, edging out Japan’s €3.54tn nominal GDP. California now ranks behind the US at €25.7tn, China €16.5tn and Germany €4.1tn.