USA: Capital investment, percent of GDP

For that indicator, we provide data for the USA from 1970 to 2021. The average value for the USA during that period was 21.98 percent with a minimum of 17.77 percent in 2009 and a maximum of 25.11 percent in 1979. The latest value from 2021 is 21.1 percent. For comparison, the world average in 2021 based on 153 countries is 24.18 percent. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The capital investment in the USA and other countries is calculated as the purchases of new plant and equipment by firms, as percent of GDP. A high number is good for long-term economic growth as current investment leads to greater future production.

Definition: Gross capital formation (formerly gross domestic investment) consists of outlays on additions to the fixed assets of the economy plus net changes in the level of inventories. Fixed assets include land improvements (fences, ditches, drains, and so on); plant, machinery, and equipment purchases; and the construction of roads, railways, and the like, including schools, offices, hospitals, private residential dwellings, and commercial and industrial buildings. Inventories are stocks of goods held by firms to meet temporary or unexpected fluctuations in production or sales, and "work in progress." According to the 1993 SNA, net acquisitions of valuables are also considered capital formation.