The 15 Top-Performing Global Economies of 2022

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Most people will be happy to see the end of 2022, in no small part because it has been so ugly in financial terms. Global stock markets have fallen by 20%, and inflation of 10% year over year across the developed world has savaged household incomes.

Yet some countries are finishing out the year in better shape that others, according to a new report on the winners and losers from The Economist, based on data for 34 mostly wealthy countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Researchers ranked each country’s economy according to how well it has performed on the following measures, and came up with an overall score:

• GDP, change from the 2021 fourth quarter through the 2022 third quarter
• Change in consumer prices since the end of 2021
• Inflation breadth, share of product categories with an annual price rise of more than 2%
• Change in stock prices, based on national stock market indices
• Net government debt as a percentage of GDP

Among some unexpected positive results were countries roiled by political chaos during the past year. There were also underperformers, including Germany, which ranked No. 30 despite its political stability. Latvia and Estonia, touted for their rapid reforms in the last decade, would up at the bottom of the list.

The U.S. came in near the middle of the ranking at No. 20.

See the gallery for the 15 top-performing OECD economies in 2022.

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