The economic scale of California economy has surpassed Japan to rank as the fourth largest in the world. According to an analysis of 2026 data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released by the Orange County Register on the 21st, California’s gross domestic product (GDP) was tallied at approximately $4.5 trillion.
This is by far the largest scale among the 50 states nationwide. If California were treated as an independent nation, it would outpace Japan and rank fourth globally, following only the United States, China, and Germany.
Texas, holding the second-largest domestic economy, recorded a GDP of $3.1 trillion, placing it eighth in the world. This scale is comparable to that of Russia.
New York State rose to 11th globally with a GDP of $2.6 trillion. This matches the level of Canada and surpasses South Korea, which ranks 12th.
