China's post-pandemic recovery has been patchy, and according to the OECD, its 2025 growth is projected to come in at 4.5%, well below the phenomenal figures the country was seeing in the 2000s. Growth is predicted to moderate further over the forecast period but will be healthy enough to push the country to the top of the WELT rankings by 2038.

However, the economy of the People's Republic has two fundamental problems: a faltering property sector and an ageing population. As we've mentioned, China's stint as the world's number-one economy could be relatively fleeting and, in any case, the forecast is contingent on the country not invading Taiwan. If it does, the country may never overtake the US...

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