Economic growth can look different after allowing for the wearing out of produced assets and the depletion of energy resources, minerals, and forests. The World Bank series Adjusted net national income (annual % growth) starts with GNI, subtracts consumption of fixed capital and natural-resource depletion, values the result in constant 2015 prices, and reports the percentage change from the previous year. It is therefore a real growth measure of an adjusted national-income concept rather than a conventional GDP growth rate.
The source extract contains 159 latest non-empty country or economy observations, but their years range from 2003 to 2021. To avoid ranking different time periods together, the map, tables, and summary statistics use only the 144 observations actually dated 2021. Their median growth rate is 4.5% and their unweighted mean is 3.9%. There are 113 positive and 31 negative observations.
Table of Contents
How this growth rate differs from real GDP growth
Real GDP growth measures the change in production taking place inside an economy. Adjusted net national income uses a different accounting path. It begins with GNI, which focuses on income accruing to residents, and then deducts consumption of fixed capital and natural-resource depletion. The resulting growth rate can therefore move differently from GDP even in the same year.
This series is also not a per-capita growth rate. It tracks the change in the total adjusted net national income of an economy. Population growth can therefore make the per-person version behave differently. Nor is it a measure of wages, median household income, disposable income, or purchasing power. Similar labels can hide substantially different questions.
The 2021 median is 4.49%, with 113 positive observations
Across the 144 same-year observations, the first quartile is 1.0%, the median is 4.5%, and the third quartile is 7.4%. The mean, at 3.9%, is below the median because a few very large contractions pull it downward. Timor-Leste is the most extreme case at -65.7%.
| 2021 growth range | Number of economies |
|---|---|
| < -10% | 5 |
| -10% to -3% | 13 |
| -3% to 0% | 13 |
| 0% to 3% | 25 |
| 3% to 6% | 35 |
| 6% to 10% | 36 |
| 10% or more | 17 |
The year matters. In 2021 many economies were rebounding from pandemic-era disruption, so annual rates can contain strong base effects and reopening effects. A high value should not be treated as proof of superior long-run growth potential, while a sharp contraction should not automatically be read as a permanent structural decline. The map is a same-year snapshot of change, not a multi-year forecast.
Republic of Congo, Libya, and Maldives have the highest 2021 rates
The Republic of Congo records the highest 2021 value at 35.7%, followed by Libya at 31.5%, Maldives at 24.8%, Iraq at 21.3%, and Ireland at 17.2%. The leading group mixes oil exporters, tourism-sensitive island economies, and a high-income European economy, which is a warning against forcing one explanation onto the ranking.
| Country or economy | 2021 growth |
|---|---|
| Congo, Rep. | 35.7% |
| Libya | 31.5% |
| Maldives | 24.8% |
| Iraq | 21.3% |
| Ireland | 17.2% |
| Equatorial Guinea | 15.9% |
| Montenegro | 15.7% |
| Norway | 15.7% |
| Iran, Islamic Rep. | 14.6% |
| Bahamas, The | 13.7% |
Large annual gains can reflect recovery from a weak prior year, changes in energy production and prices, tourism reopening, or other movements in national income and the deductions used by the indicator. Those causal drivers are not identified by this one data series, so the ranking is descriptive rather than an attribution exercise.
Timor-Leste has the largest contraction at -65.7%
At the other end, Timor-Leste is lowest at -65.7%, followed by Afghanistan at -19.5%, the Democratic Republic of the Congo at -17.3%, Lebanon at -16.2%, and Tonga at -10.7%. Mongolia, Rwanda, Mali, Kazakhstan, and Vanuatu complete the bottom ten.
| Country or economy | 2021 growth |
|---|---|
| Timor-Leste | -65.7% |
| Afghanistan | -19.5% |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | -17.3% |
| Lebanon | -16.2% |
| Tonga | -10.7% |
| Mongolia | -9.1% |
| Rwanda | -8.7% |
| Mali | -7.4% |
| Kazakhstan | -6.1% |
| Vanuatu | -5.5% |
A one-year decline of more than 60% is an extreme observation. Interpreting it requires the underlying time series, the previous-year base, and country-specific national-income components. This comparison preserves the World Bank value but does not invent a single cause that is not contained in the dataset.
India is 11.6%, France 9.1%, and the United States 5.3%
| Economy | 2021 growth |
|---|---|
| United States | 5.3% |
| Canada | 8.8% |
| Mexico | 2.4% |
| Brazil | 1.4% |
| Argentina | 12.5% |
| Germany | 2.7% |
| France | 9.1% |
| Italy | 6.2% |
| Russian Federation | 3.9% |
| China | 6.9% |
| Japan | -1.4% |
| Korea, Rep. | 2.7% |
| India | 11.6% |
| Indonesia | 5.4% |
| Viet Nam | 0.6% |
| South Africa | 7.0% |
Among several large economies, India records 11.6%, France 9.1%, Canada 8.8%, China 6.9%, and South Africa 7.0%. The United States is at 5.3%, Indonesia 5.4%, and the Russian Federation 3.9%. Korea is 2.7%, while Germany is 2.7%.
Japan is negative at -1.4%, Brazil is a low positive at 1.4%, and Viet Nam is below 1% at 0.6%. Argentina is much higher at 12.5%. The United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are not in the 2021 table because their retained latest non-empty observations in this extract are from earlier years.
The geography is patchy even within the same region
The map does not divide cleanly into rich versus poor or north versus south. Ireland and Norway are in double digits, while Germany and Korea are in the 2% range and Japan is negative. Libya and Iraq stand out in North Africa and the Middle East, but neighboring economies are not uniformly high. In central Africa, the Republic of Congo is the highest observation in the dataset while the Democratic Republic of the Congo is among the deepest contractions.
That patchwork makes the map useful for spotting contrasts between neighbors, but proximity alone cannot explain the result. Economies with similar colors may have reached them through very different combinations of national-income growth, capital consumption, and resource depletion.
Why the 159 latest values are not ranked together
Only 144 of the 159 retained latest observations are dated 2021. The other 15 are spread across 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. A latest-available table is useful for finding the newest number for each economy, but it is not a synchronized country comparison if those dates are mixed.
For that reason, an older valid observation is not carried forward and relabeled as 2021. The United Kingdom’s retained value is from 2018, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have 2020 values in this extract. Leaving them out of the same-year ranking preserves comparability even though it reduces coverage.
What this indicator does not tell us
Adjusted net national income subtracts consumption of fixed capital and natural-resource depletion, but it is not a complete environmental or sustainability score. It does not incorporate every cost associated with carbon emissions, air pollution, biodiversity, water quality, health, education, inequality, or public services. It is best understood as a national-income accounting measure with specific asset and depletion adjustments.
A high growth rate also says nothing by itself about the level of adjusted income. A low-income economy can grow quickly from a small base, while a high-income economy can remain much wealthier with a modest growth rate. Level and speed are separate dimensions. Per-capita adjusted income, GDP per capita, and household-income indicators answer other questions.
Source and calculation method
The data come from World Bank World Development Indicators series NY.ADJ.NNTY.KD.ZG. The World Bank reports annual percentage growth in adjusted net national income measured in constant 2015 U.S. dollars. Adjusted net national income is GNI minus consumption of fixed capital and natural-resource depletion.
Every mean, median, ranking, and table in this article is calculated from the 144 observations whose recorded data year is 2021. Older retained observations are not treated as 2021 values, and missing values are not estimated. The world map joins ISO-3 codes to a low-resolution boundary layer, with point markers used for several small island economies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is adjusted net national income growth the same as GDP growth?
No. GDP growth measures the change in domestic real output. Adjusted net national income growth starts from GNI and subtracts consumption of fixed capital and natural-resource depletion before measuring the real annual change.
Which economy has the highest 2021 growth rate?
Among the 144 observations actually dated 2021, the Republic of Congo is highest at about 35.7%, followed by Libya at 31.5% and Maldives at 24.8%.
Why are only 144 of the 159 latest observations compared?
Fifteen retained latest values are dated from 2003 through 2020. They are excluded from the main ranking so that different observation years are not mixed into a single 2021 comparison.
Does a high growth rate mean living standards are high?
Not necessarily. A growth rate measures speed of change, not the absolute level of income, income per person, distribution, wages, or local purchasing power.
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