How GDP of US States Compares to Countries Around the World

Montana, home to just over 1 million people, has a $44.4 billion economy — similar in size to the economy of Lebanon, a country of over 6 million people. Situated along the Mediterranean’s eastern shore, Lebanon has long been a regional trading hub. However, it also shares borders with Israel and Syria and has been involved in armed conflicts. It has also been a refuge for people and groups displaced by violence.

Nebraska’s 1.9 million residents produce an economic output of over $111 billion, close to that of the Slovak Republic, or Slovakia. The country’s economy centers around manufacturing, with more than a quarter of exports in 2017 in vehicles or vehicle parts. Though Nebraska has a much smaller population than the Slovak Republic, its landmass is more than four times that of the European nation.

Nevada’s economy generated $142.9 billion in 2017, nearly the same as the Middle Eastern nation of Kuwait — which happens to be one of the wealthiest nations in both the region and the world. Kuwait has a relatively open political system for the region, and it has more proved oil reserves than all but a handful of other countries worldwide.

One of the smallest states by population, New Hampshire has a $74.4 billion economy — on par with Oman, a Middle Eastern nation with a population more than triple that of New Hampshire. Like other countries in the region, Oman relies heavily on exports of crude oil and petroleum products.

New Jersey has a similar economic output to Iran, even though the Middle Eastern country has about nine times as many residents and 72 times as much land. Nearly three-quarters of Iran’s 2017 exports, worth roughly $54 billion, are in petroleum. Conversely, a relatively small amount of New Jersey’s economic output comes from natural resources. Instead, the state has some of the largest shares of workers employed in the information and finance industries.