Industries · Markets and economies
Regions for case solvers: the big markets of the world
The world's largest markets, region by region: India, the Gulf, China and Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and the UK, the United States, and Africa and Latin America. Size, growth, structure, consumers, the state and its regulators, what changed in 2024 to 2026, and what each means in a case.
Key takeaways
- India is the fastest-growing large economy: about USD 3.9 trillion of output and 1.46 billion people in 2025, growing about 7 to 8 percent a year in real terms.
- The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are rich, small in population and built on oil and gas: together about USD 2.4 trillion of GDP and 62.6 million people in 2025.
- China is the world's second-largest economy, growing about 5 percent in 2025 with flat consumer prices, a shrinking population and a government push to raise household spending.
- Southeast Asia is six very different markets, not one: about USD 4.1 trillion of GDP and 612 million people across Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore in 2025.
- Europe is rich, old and slow-growing. The euro area (the countries that use the euro) produced about USD 18 trillion in 2025 and grew 1.4 percent; the UK about USD 4 trillion.
- Quote the size, growth, income per person and population of the main economies in each region, with source and year
- Describe the structure of each economy and the sectors that come up in its cases
- Name the central bank and the main regulators in each region
- Explain the 2024 to 2026 shifts a case could turn on: the 2026 war and energy shock, tariffs, interest rates, tax changes
- Turn each region's facts into concrete case implications: price points, channels, rules and currency risk
Lessons
India for case solvers
Size, growth, structure, consumers, the state and regulators, the 2024 to 2026 shifts (rate cuts, GST, labour codes, trade) and what they mean in a case.
The Gulf for case solvers
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain: size, oil and diversification, citizens and foreign residents, new taxes, the 2026 war, and what they mean in a case.
China and Japan for case solvers
A manufacturing giant with flat prices and a shrinking population, and a rich, old economy where prices and rates are rising: the numbers, the state, and what they mean in a case.
Southeast Asia for case solvers
Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore: six very different markets, the export and AI boom, recent reforms, and what they mean in a case.
Europe and the UK for case solvers
The euro area's big four and the UK: slow growth, an energy shock, rising rates, Germany's spending plan, EU rules, and what they mean in a case.
The United States for case solvers
The largest single market: size, income, sectors, the regulators and the states, the 2025 to 2026 tariff and rate changes, and what they mean in a case.
Africa and Latin America for case solvers
Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile: growth, currencies and inflation, young and urban populations, inequality, and what they mean in a case.
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