California: The Numbers
California is an economic powerhouse and recently became the world’s fourth-largest economy.
June 16, 2025
With a GDP of $4.1 trillion, California recently overtook Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy — after the United States, China and Germany.
In 2024, California's growth rate of 6% outpaced the top three global economies: The United States (5.3%), China (2.6%) and Germany (2.9%).
California's state GDP — at $4.1 trillion — is only 8.8% smaller than Germany's entire GDP ($4.5 trillion). Moreover, California generates that with less than half the population of Germany.
California leads the United States in Fortune 500 companies, new business start-ups, venture capital access, manufacturing output, high-tech industries and agriculture.
With a population of approximately 40 million, California is the United States’ most populous state.
California is highly multicultural, with the state being home to 10.6 million immigrants — 22% of the foreign-born population nationwide.
California is the United States’ third-largest state by land area. Alaska and Texas are number one and number two respectively.
Violent crime in the state has dropped by 4.6%, while property crime dropped by 8.5% in 2024 compared with 2023.
Moreover, five of the top 10 happiest cities in the United States are in California — with Fremont taking the top spot.
With its strong economy, population size and cultural distinctiveness, California has a strong movement to secede from the United States and become a sovereign country.
However, secession would require a U.S. constitutional amendment, needing approval from two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of U.S. states — making it virtually impossible.
Sources: Britannica, Public Policy Institute of California, The Guardian, The Economic Times, The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, Bloomberg, World Bank
Takeaways
With a GDP of $4.1 trillion, California recently overtook Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy after the U.S., China and Germany.
California leads the U.S. in Fortune 500 companies, new business start-ups, venture capital access, manufacturing output, high-tech industries and agriculture.
With its strong economy, population size and cultural distinctiveness, California has a strong movement to secede from the United States and become a sovereign country.
For California to secede would require a U.S. constitutional amendment, needing approval from two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of U.S. states — making it virtually impossible.
