The U.S. state of California says it has overtaken Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy in terms of nominal gross domestic product.

California recorded $4.1 trillion in nominal GDP in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week. The figure was slightly higher than Japan’s $4.02 trillion as recorded by the International Monetary Fund.

Japan's annual GDP was surpassed by China in 2010 and Germany in 2023, positioning the country as the world’s No. 4 economy.