If California were its own country, its economy would now rank as the fourth largest of any nation in the globe, Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week.

California’s economy continued to grow at a fast clip of 6% in 2024, according to data and Newsom’s office. The top three economies in the world all grew at slower rates: 5.3% in the entire U.S., 2.6% in China and 2.9% in Germany.

California has surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom said, as he warned of the threat posed by President Donald Trump’s tariffs to the tech powerhouse’s fast-growing wealth.