The 2010 G-20 summit in Toronto comes at a time when most developed nations' economies are growing again, except for some in southern Europe, such as Greece and Spain. China and India are growing the fastest. China and Germany have the largest trade surpluses; the United States has one of the largest trade deficits. The United States and Britain face the biggest problem with budget deficits. Japan and Italy have the biggest problem with cumulative debts. USA TODAY's Richard Wolf takes a look at the world's biggest economies, along with Greece.| Country | Challenges | Gross domestic product | 2010 growth rate | Trade balance | Jobless rate | Budget deficit (pct. of economy) | Gross debt (pct. of economy) |
| United States | The world's largest economy is growing again, but its trade and budget deficits need to be tamed. | $14.8 trillion | 3.1% | -3.3% | 9.4% | 11% | 92.6% |
| China{+1} | The emerging giant, dominant in growth and trade, has promised to float its currency. | $5.4 trillion | 10% | 6.2% | 4.3% | N/A | N/A |
| Japan | Its crushing debt must be reduced with spending cuts or tax increases to gain the world's trust. | $5.3 trillion | 1.9% | 2.8% | 5.1% | 9.8% | 227.3% |
| Germany | Europe's biggest economy is helping Greece, but a policy of austerity could limit growth and boost its trade surplus. | $3.3 trillion | 1.2% | 5.5% | 8.6% | 5.7% | 76.7% |
| France | Long an advocate of tighter financial regulation, the nation joined Britain and Germany in pushing a bank tax. | $2.7 trillion | 1.5% | -1.9% | 10% | 8.2% | 84.2% |
| Great Britain | The new Conservative government has proposed sweeping spending cuts and tax increases to tame the developed world's worst budget deficit. | $2.2 trillion | 1.3% | -1.7% | 8.3% | 11.4% | 78.2% |
| Italy | Prime Minister Berlusconi has begun austerity measures but has not kept up with promised aid to developing nations. | $2.1 trillion | 0.8% | -2.8% | 8.7% | 5.2% | 118.6% |
| Brazil{+1} | Growth from domestic demand has protected Latin America's top economy from the European debt crisis. | $1.9 trillion | 5.5% | -2.9% | 8.1% | 2.9% surplus | 42.8% |
| Canada | Much is at stake for a government that has spent more than $1 billion on security for the G-8 and G-20 meetings. | $1.6 trillion | 3.1% | -2.6% | 7.9% | 5.1% | 82.3% |
| Russia{+1} | It will seek more influence with wealthier neighbors and suggest additional reserve currencies besides the dollar and euro. | $1.5 trillion | 4% | 5.1% | 8.5% | 4.3% | N/A |
| Spain | Faced with a crushing debt and nearly 20% unemployment, the government has pushed tough labor market reforms. | $1.4 trillion | -0.4% | -5.3% | 19.4% | 10.4% | 72.8% |
| India{+1} | It opposes a new tax on banks proposed by European nations, favoring tighter regulations instead. | $1.4 trillion | 8.8% | -2.2% | na | 5.8% | na |
| Greece (debt-ridden) | Having spurred Europe's debt crisis, it now must show it can make the necessary reforms to right its tattered economy. | $300 billion | -2% | -9.7% | 12% | 8.7% | 129.1% |
Sources: International Monetary Fund; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
USA TODAY - June 24, 2010
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