A Multi-Domain Assessment of the United States’ Global Standing in 2025

The Bedrock of Power: Economic Supremacy and Financial Clout

The foundation of the United States’ global standing is its unparalleled economic and financial might.

An analysis of primary economic metrics reveals a nation that, despite facing new and significant challenges, continues to command a dominant position in the world economy.

This section examines the key indicators of American economic power, from its colossal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to its vast reserves of private wealth, while also exploring the critical nuances that define its relationship with a rising China and the rest of the global community.

The Colossus of Global GDP: A League of Its Own

By the most widely recognized measure of economic strength—nominal Gross Domestic Product—the United States holds the undisputed number one world rank.

Projections for 2025 from multiple economic bodies, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), place the U.S. nominal GDP at approximately $30.51 trillion.¹

This figure is not merely a first-place standing; it represents a commanding lead over all other nations.

For context, China, the world’s second-largest economy, is projected to have a nominal GDP of $19.23 trillion in 2025, creating a staggering gap of over $11 trillion.²

The scale of the U.S. economy is such that it is larger than the projected combined economies of the next three largest nations—China, Germany, and India.¹

This preeminent position is not a recent phenomenon; the United States has steadfastly maintained its rank as the world’s largest economy from 1960 through 2025.¹

Nominal GDP, calculated using current market exchange rates, serves as the most direct measure of a country’s financial power and influence on the international stage.

It reflects a nation’s capacity to purchase goods and services on the global market, fund overseas investments and military operations, and shape the international financial system.

The U.S.’s dominant position in this metric is a cornerstone of its superpower status.

In 2025, the American economy is forecast to account for 26.8% of the entire world’s nominal GDP, meaning more than a quarter of all measured economic output originates within its borders.²

This economic heft provides the resources for its leading positions in defense spending and technological research, forming a critical link between its economic and geopolitical power.

The PPP Counterpoint: Understanding China’s Domestic Scale

While nominal GDP highlights a nation’s external financial power, a different metric—Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)—offers a more accurate assessment of a country’s domestic market size and internal standard of living.

PPP adjusts GDP figures for differences in local price levels, based on the cost of a common “basket of goods and services” in each country.⁴

This methodology accounts for the fact that a U.S. dollar can purchase a greater volume of goods and services in a country with lower price levels, like China, than it can domestically.⁴

When viewed through this lens, the global economic hierarchy shifts.

On a PPP basis, the United States ranks second in the world, behind China.²

Projections for 2025 indicate that China’s GDP (PPP) will be approximately $10.2 trillion larger than that of the U.S., and this gap is expected to increase in the coming years.²

This divergence between the U.S.’s number one nominal rank and its number two PPP rank is not a contradiction but rather the single most important macroeconomic indicator of the 21st century’s geopolitical landscape.

It signifies a world with two distinct economic centers of gravity.

The U.S. retains its dominance over the global financial system, international investment flows, and the pricing of global commodities, as reflected by its nominal GDP leadership.

Simultaneously, China’s number one PPP rank demonstrates the immense and growing scale of its internal productive capacity and consumer market.

This economic duality is reshaping global trade, with China’s domestic market acting as a powerful magnet for regional economies and challenging the post-World War II order where the U.S. was the undisputed economic center by every measure.

Wealth of a Nation: Aggregate and Per Capita Prosperity

Beyond the annual flow of production measured by GDP, the accumulated stock of wealth provides another critical dimension of national power.

In this domain, the United States’ lead is even more pronounced.

The U.S. ranks first globally in total private household wealth, holding an estimated $139.9 trillion.

This figure represents 30.8% of the world’s total wealth, a share significantly larger than its portion of global GDP and far ahead of second-place China, which holds $84.5 trillion (18.6% of the world total).⁷

This immense reservoir of private capital fuels the nation’s deep and liquid financial markets, underwrites unparalleled levels of venture capital investment, and provides a crucial buffer of economic resilience.

In the second quarter of 2024, total U.S. household wealth reached a record $164 trillion, indicating robust recovery and growth in the post-pandemic era.⁸

On an individual level, the United States also demonstrates a high degree of prosperity.

For 2025, its projected nominal GDP per capita is $89,105, placing it seventh in the world.²

This level of per-person economic output is substantially higher than that of other large advanced economies, including Germany ($55,911), the United Kingdom ($54,949), Canada ($53,558), and Japan ($33,956).¹

While these aggregate and average figures can mask significant internal income and wealth disparities—a critical challenge explored later in this report—they nonetheless underscore the high level of economic productivity that characterizes the American economy.

Rank	Country	Nominal GDP (2025 Projections, USD Trillions)	GDP Per Capita (2025 Projections, USD)	Total Household Wealth (USD Trillions)
1	United States	$30.51	$89,105	$139.9
2	China	$19.23	$13,687	$84.5
3	Germany	$4.74	$55,911	$17.4
4	India	$4.19	$2,878	$15.4
5	Japan	$4.19	$33,956	$22.6
6	United Kingdom	$3.84	$54,949	$16.0
7	France	$3.21	$46,792	$16.0
8	Italy	$2.42	$41,091	$11.0
9	Canada	$2.23	$53,558	$11.3
10	Brazil	$2.13	$9,964	$4.6
Sources: 1

Unrivaled Military and Geopolitical Influence

The United States’ economic supremacy directly enables its status as the world’s sole military superpower.

This section analyzes the “hard power” dimension of its global rank, examining its unmatched military capabilities, its unparalleled defense budget, and the geopolitical influence that flows from this strength.

It also explores the more complex domain of “soft power,” where American leadership is simultaneously dominant and increasingly contested.

The Global Sentinel: Unmatched Military Capability

According to the 2025 Global Firepower (GFP) review, the United States is ranked number one of 145 countries for military strength, a position it has held consistently since the index’s inception in 2005.¹⁰

The GFP’s proprietary Power Index, which synthesizes dozens of factors including manpower, air and naval power, financials, and logistical capabilities, assigns the U.S. a score of 0.0744, where a score of 0.0000 is considered “perfect”.¹¹

This top ranking is built on a decisive quantitative and qualitative lead in key power projection assets.

The U.S. Navy operates 11 aircraft carriers, a force that provides a global, mobile sovereign airbase capability unmatched by any other nation.¹¹

China, its nearest competitor, operates a fraction of this number.

The U.S. fleet is further supported by 9 helicopter carriers, 81 advanced destroyers, and a fleet of 70 submarines, including a large contingent of nuclear-powered vessels.¹¹

Its airpower is similarly dominant, ranking first in the world with a total of 13,043 military aircraft.

This includes nearly 1,800 fighter jets, over 880 dedicated attack aircraft, a vast transport fleet of more than 900 planes, and the world’s largest aerial refueling tanker fleet, which is critical for global reach.¹¹

This military hardware is operated by a deep and professional manpower base, consisting of approximately 1.33 million active-duty personnel and nearly 800,000 in reserve forces.¹⁰

The combination of advanced technology, extensive logistical infrastructure, and a global network of alliances and bases grants the U.S. military a strategic reach and power projection capability that remains in a class of its own.

The Economics of Dominance: A Budget Without Peer

The physical might of the U.S. military is underwritten by a defense budget of unparalleled scale.

In 2023, U.S. military spending reached $916 billion.¹²

This single national budget is larger than the combined defense expenditures of the next nine countries, a list that includes major powers like China, Russia, India, the United Kingdom, and Germany.¹³

The United States alone accounts for approximately 37% to 40% of all military spending worldwide.¹³

While this absolute spending figure is immense, its context relative to the size of the U.S. economy is also significant.

At approximately 3.4% of GDP, current defense spending is historically low compared to the peaks of the Cold War, when it often exceeded 8-10% of GDP.¹⁶

However, because the U.S. economy has grown so substantially, today’s lower percentage still translates into a higher inflation-adjusted budget than at any point during the Cold War.¹⁷

This massive financial commitment is a direct conversion of the economic power detailed in the previous section into military hard power, funding the technological research, advanced procurement, global operations, and personnel readiness that secure its number one military rank.

Rank	Country	Power Index Score	Active Military Personnel	Total Aircraft	Key Naval Assets (Carriers/Destroyers/Subs)	Annual Defense Budget (USD Billions)
1	United States	0.0744	1,328,000	13,043	11 / 81 / 70	$997.0
2	Russia	0.0788	1,320,000	4,255	1 / 15 / 65	$149.0
3	China	0.0788	2,035,000	3,304	2 / 50 / 78	$314.0
4	India	0.1184	1,455,550	2,296	2 / 11 / 18	$86.1
5	South Korea	0.1656	600,000	1,576	0 / 12 / 22	$43.9
6	United Kingdom	0.1785	144,400	664	2 / 6 / 10	$81.8
7	France	0.1878	270,000	972	1 / 10 / 9	$64.7
8	Japan	0.1839	247,000	1,459	4 / 36 / 22	$55.3
9	Turkiye	0.1902	355,200	1,069	1 / 16 / 12	$15.8
10	Italy	0.2164	165,500	801	2 / 4 / 8	$35.2
Note: Naval asset figures for Japan include helicopter carriers. Data compiled from multiple 2025 reports.
Sources: 10

The Complexities of Global Leadership: Hard Power, Soft Power, and a Contested Reputation

The United States’ immense hard power translates into significant global influence.

It is consistently ranked as the world’s most powerful country in composite indices that weigh economic, military, and diplomatic factors.¹⁴

In the domain of “soft power”—the ability to attract and persuade through culture, political values, and foreign policies—the U.S. also holds a top position.

The 2025 Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index ranks the United States number one out of 193 nations, with a leading score of 79.5 out of 100.

It performs exceptionally well in the core metrics of global “Influence” and “Familiarity”.¹⁸

However, this top-line ranking masks a critical and growing vulnerability.

The very same report highlights a significant erosion in the global perception of American leadership.

The U.S. “Reputation” score has fallen four places to 15th globally, while its “Governance” score has dropped to 10th.¹⁹

These declines are attributed to perceptions of rising internal political tensions and instability.¹⁸

This trend is corroborated by other regional analyses, such as the Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index, which finds that while the U.S. remains the most powerful actor in Asia overall, its “diplomatic influence” in the region has fallen to third place, behind both Japan and China.²¹

This creates a strategic paradox: the world recognizes the objective fact of American power, but is increasingly skeptical about the quality, reliability, and wisdom of its leadership.

This erosion of trust and reputation directly threatens the durability of the U.S.-led system of international alliances.

Alliances are built not just on shared interests but on predictability and confidence in a leading partner’s stability.

As perceptions of U.S. political volatility grow, allies may be incentivized to hedge their security bets and pursue more independent foreign policies, which could weaken the very defense networks that amplify American global power.²¹

Consequently, the U.S. may be transitioning from a post-Cold War model of “leadership by consensus,” built on both power and shared values, to a more transactional model of “leadership by necessity.” In this new era, fewer countries may

want to follow the American lead, but its overwhelming hard power means many still need to align with it to address pressing security threats.

This creates a more fragile and volatile international order, where coalitions are based more on immediate threat perception than on long-term, value-based partnerships.

The Engine of Progress: Innovation and Technological Leadership

Perhaps the most durable pillar of American global strength is its vast, dynamic, and self-reinforcing innovation ecosystem.

While other nations can compete in manufacturing scale or military size, the United States’ capacity to generate foundational scientific research and translate it into world-changing technologies remains unparalleled.

This section assesses the U.S.’s standing in global indices that measure technological capacity, research output, and the overall environment for innovation.

The Innovation Hub: A Top-Tier Global Performer

The United States consistently ranks at the apex of global innovation.

The 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII), published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), places the U.S. third among 133 economies with a score of 62.4.²²

This represents a continuation of its performance, having been ranked in the top three for the past five consecutive years.²²

The GII is a comprehensive benchmark composed of roughly 80 indicators grouped into “Innovation Inputs” (such as institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, and business sophistication) and “Innovation Outputs” (such as knowledge, technology, and creative outputs).²³

The U.S. demonstrates exceptional strength in several key areas that drive this high ranking.

It is a world leader in research and development investments, the volume and value of venture capital deals, and the quality and impact of its scientific publications.²²

This innovation is not confined to a single location but is distributed across the country in powerful hubs; the U.S. is home to 20 of the top 100 science and technology clusters in the world, more than any other nation.²²

Digital and Network Supremacy: The #1 Ranked Nation

Beyond the capacity for innovation, the ability of a society to adopt and leverage new technologies is a critical measure of modern power.

In this domain, the United States holds the number one position globally.

The 2024 Network Readiness Index (NRI), a benchmark that evaluates 133 economies on their digital transformation capabilities, ranks the U.S. first, a position it has consistently maintained.²⁵

The NRI framework assesses nations across four fundamental pillars: Technology (access, content, future technologies), People (usage by individuals, businesses, and governments), Governance (trust, regulation, inclusion), and Impact (on the economy, quality of life, and Sustainable Development Goals).²⁷

The U.S. exhibits a remarkably balanced and high-level performance, securing a position within the top 25 across all four of these pillars.³⁰

Specific strengths include its output of AI scientific publications, the high percentage of firms with a web presence, and a robust ICT regulatory environment.²⁸

This number one NRI ranking signifies more than just technological prowess; it reflects a society-wide capacity to effectively integrate digital tools into its economic and social fabric, a key enabler of productivity and future growth.

The Fountainhead of Knowledge: Dominance in Higher Education and Research

The engine room of the American innovation ecosystem is its system of higher education.

U.S. universities are unparalleled in their research output and global influence.

According to the 2024 Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities, American institutions account for a staggering eight of the top 10 and 19 of the top 25 research universities in the world.³¹

Harvard University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University consistently occupy the top ranks for scientific impact and publication volume.³²

This academic dominance creates a powerful “flywheel effect” that drives the entire innovation landscape.

World-class universities attract the brightest students and researchers from across the globe.

This concentration of talent produces foundational research and generates valuable intellectual property.

This, in turn, attracts a deep and sophisticated venture capital market—another area of U.S. leadership—which funds the translation of academic breakthroughs into innovative startup companies.²²

These companies can then scale rapidly within the large and technologically adept U.S. domestic market, eventually becoming global technology leaders.

This integrated, self-reinforcing cycle between academia, finance, and industry is a strategic national asset that is exceptionally difficult for other nations to replicate and serves as the primary driver of the high U.S. rankings in both the GII and NRI.

Rank	Country	Global Innovation Index (GII) Rank (2024)	Network Readiness Index (NRI) Rank (2024)	Number of Universities in Global Top 50 (Research Output, 2024)
1	Switzerland	1	7	1
2	Sweden	2	4	0
3	United States	3	1	23
4	Singapore	4	2	2
5	United Kingdom	5	—	4
6	South Korea	6	5	0
7	Finland	7	3	0
8	Netherlands	8	6	1
9	Germany	9	—	0
10	Denmark	10	—	1
11	China	11	17	6
12	France	12	—	3
13	Japan	13	12	1
14	Canada	14	11	2
15	Israel	15	—	0
Note: NRI rankings are only available for a subset of the top GII countries in the provided data.
Sources: 23

While competitors like China are rapidly advancing in specific technological applications and increasing their research output, the U.S. maintains a fundamental, system-level advantage in its innovation ecosystem.

This system excels at producing the kind of disruptive, foundational breakthroughs that define new technological paradigms.

As long as the United States continues to invest in basic research and maintain its ability to attract the world’s top talent, it is likely to remain the primary source of the next generation of transformative technologies, a decisive factor in long-term economic and geopolitical competition.

The American Paradox: A Nuanced Look at Social Well-being

A comprehensive assessment of the United States’ world rank reveals a profound paradox: its world-leading economic, military, and technological power does not consistently translate into world-leading outcomes in broad measures of social well-being.

While preeminent in measures of national strength, the U.S. often ranks closer to the middle of the pack among its developed peers in indicators of health, safety, education, and equality.

This section confronts this paradox, identifying these domestic challenges as potential long-term strategic vulnerabilities.

Human Development in Perspective: Wealthy but Unequal

The Human Development Index (HDI), published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), provides a composite measure of national achievement in three key dimensions: a long and healthy life (life expectancy), access to knowledge (years of schooling), and a decent standard of living (Gross National Income, or GNI, per capita).³³

In the 2025 HDI rankings, the United States places 17th out of 193 countries and territories with a score of 0.938.³⁵

While this score places it firmly in the “Very High” human development category, it is notably behind many smaller, wealthy European nations like Iceland (#1), Switzerland (#2), and Denmark (#4), as well as other peers like Australia (#7) and Canada (#16).³³

The primary reason for this relatively modest ranking is the impact of inequality.

The UNDP also publishes an Inequality-Adjusted HDI (IHDI), which discounts a country’s HDI score based on the unevenness of distribution in health, education, and income.

For the United States, the IHDI reveals a “loss” in human development of 11.3% due to these internal disparities.³⁶

This indicates that the benefits of the nation’s immense wealth are not shared as broadly as in many other highly developed countries.

While the U.S. GNI per capita is among the highest in the world, its performance in health and education metrics, when averaged across the entire population, pulls its overall rank down.

HDI Rank (2025)	Country	HDI Score	Life Expectancy (years)	Expected Years of Schooling	GNI per Capita (2017 PPP $)
1	Iceland	0.972	83.2	19.2	$67,162
2	Switzerland	0.970	84.0	16.6	$72,934
2	Norway	0.970	83.2	18.2	$74,874
4	Denmark	0.962	81.9	18.7	$69,271
5	Germany	0.959	81.2	17.0	$59,650
…
16	Canada	0.939	82.7	16.4	$53,717
17	United States	0.938	78.2	16.3	$71,118
17	New Zealand	0.938	82.5	18.6	$50,560
20	Korea (Republic of)	0.937	83.7	16.5	$47,931
23	Japan	0.925	84.8	15.1	$46,036
Sources: 33

A World-Class System Under Strain: The Healthcare Conundrum

The U.S. healthcare system embodies the nation’s social paradox.

The 2024 World Index of Healthcare Innovation (WIHI), which compares systems across 32 high-income countries, ranks the United States seventh overall.³⁸

However, this composite score conceals extreme and contradictory results.

The U.S. ranks an undisputed number one in the “Science & Technology” pillar, reflecting its global leadership in developing new drugs, pioneering medical devices, and conducting cutting-edge research and development.³⁸

Yet, in the same index, it ranks 32nd—dead last—in “Fiscal Sustainability.” This is a direct result of its exorbitant costs.

In 2022, U.S. healthcare expenditures were $12,742 per capita, nearly double the average of other developed nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).³⁸

This massive spending does not yield superior outcomes.

The WIHI ranks the U.S. a modest 14th in “Quality,” a result of mixed performance in patient-centered care and disease prevention.³⁸

Furthermore, it ranks last in the affordability of health insurance, highlighting that even when world-class treatments are available, they are often inaccessible to a significant portion of the population.³⁸

In essence, the U.S. system is the world’s best at inventing the future of medicine but among the worst at delivering today’s medicine affordably, equitably, and sustainably to its own citizens.³⁹

Country	Overall WIHI Rank	Quality Rank	Science & Tech Rank	Fiscal Sustainability Rank	Healthcare Spending per Capita (2022 USD)
United States	7	14	1	32 (Last)	$12,742
Sweden	8	—	—	23	—
Australia	9	—	—	20	—
Belgium	10	—	—	10	—
OECD Average	—	—	—	—	~$6,500
Source: 38

Education: A Tale of Two Systems

A similar duality exists within the U.S. education system.

As established previously, the nation’s university system is the undisputed global leader, attracting elite talent and producing world-changing research.³¹

In stark contrast, its primary and secondary (K-12) public education system performs at a mediocre level by international standards.

The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a key benchmark for the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds, ranks the United States 19th in the world in a combined assessment of reading, mathematics, and science.³¹

This places American students behind their peers in most other developed nations.

Performance also varies dramatically within the country; a 2025 analysis of state school systems found that states like Massachusetts and Connecticut perform at a world-class level, while many states in the South and Southwest lag significantly, creating vast inequalities in educational opportunity.⁴⁰

This bifurcation—a world-beating tertiary system and a middling K-12 system—creates a bottleneck in domestic human capital development and exacerbates the inequalities that depress the nation’s overall HDI score.

Public Safety: An Outlier Among Developed Nations

In the domain of public safety, the United States is a stark outlier among its high-income peers.

While global safety rankings like the Global Peace Index are consistently topped by nations such as Iceland, Denmark, and Ireland, the U.S. is not found among the top echelons.⁴²

An examination of crime statistics reveals why.

The U.S. homicide rate is exceptionally high for a developed nation.

Data from 2021 shows a rate of 6.8 intentional homicides per 100,000 people.⁴⁴

This is approximately 7.5 times higher than the average homicide rate across other high-income countries.⁴⁵

This disparity is overwhelmingly driven by gun violence; the U.S. firearm homicide rate is nearly 25 times higher than the average for its peers.⁴⁵

Rates for other violent crimes, such as robbery and rape, are also several times higher than the average in Europe.⁴⁷

This high level of lethal violence impacts quality of life, imposes significant social and economic costs, and distinguishes the U.S. from every other advanced economy in a profoundly negative Way.

These social deficits are interconnected.

Deficiencies in K-12 education can limit economic opportunity, feeding into the high income inequality reflected in the IHDI.

This inequality, in turn, is correlated with disparities in healthcare access and higher rates of crime.

The enormous cost of the healthcare system strains both public and private finances, diverting resources that could be invested in improving education or public safety.

This creates a systemic cycle of social underperformance that stands in sharp contrast to the nation’s immense power and wealth.

Synthesis and Strategic Outlook

Answering the question of the United States’ world rank requires moving beyond a simple list of metrics to a synthesized understanding of its overall position in the global hierarchy.

The data reveals a complex and often contradictory profile: a nation of unparalleled foundational power whose leadership is increasingly challenged by both external competitors and, more critically, its own internal shortcomings.

A Consolidated View: The Superpower’s Balance Sheet

The United States’ claim to the top global rank rests on a formidable array of strengths.

It is the undisputed leader in the most crucial metrics of national power:

• Economic Power: Number one in nominal GDP and total national wealth, providing an unmatched resource base.²
• Military Power: Number one in military spending and capability, making it the world’s only true global military force.¹⁰
• Technological Power: Number one in network readiness and home to the world’s most dominant innovation ecosystem, fueled by elite research universities.²⁵

These pillars of “hard power” (military and economic) and “smart power” (technology and innovation) are mutually reinforcing.

Economic strength funds military and technological superiority, which in turn protects economic interests and attracts global talent, perpetuating a cycle of dominance.

However, this balance sheet carries significant liabilities.

The nation’s foundational strengths are counterbalanced by a series of internal vulnerabilities where its rank is far from the top:

• Social Well-being: A middling rank of 17th in the Human Development Index, dragged down by outcomes in health and education that lag behind most other advanced economies.³⁵
• Inequality: A significant loss of potential human development due to high levels of inequality in income, health, and education.³⁶
• Inefficiency: A healthcare system that costs nearly twice as much as those of its peers while delivering average-to-poor results in key areas like affordability and sustainability.³⁸
• Insecurity: A level of lethal violence that makes it a distinct outlier among all other high-income nations.⁴⁵
• Instability: A declining global reputation for good governance and political stability, which erodes its “soft power” and the trust of its allies.¹⁹

Future Trajectories: The Debate on American Decline

The data presented in this report does not support a simple narrative of absolute American decline.

The U.S. economy continues to grow, and its leads in military power and foundational innovation remain vast.¹¹

The more accurate story is one of

relative decline, driven by the “rise of the rest.” The U.S. share of the global economy has fallen from a peak of 40% in 1960 to around 26% today, not because the U.S. has become poorer, but because other nations—chiefly China—have grown at a historic pace.⁵⁰

The emergence of China as the world’s largest economy in PPP terms is the clearest evidence of a global shift from a unipolar to a more contested, bipolar or multipolar system.²

In this new environment, the greatest threat to the United States’ global standing is not an external rival but its own internal challenges.

The social and political vulnerabilities identified in this report pose the most significant long-term risks to its power.

Enduring national strength is built on a foundation of robust human capital and social cohesion.

By failing to consistently deliver world-class health, education, and safety to its entire population, the U.S. risks corroding the very talent base and social stability required to sustain its economic and innovative dynamism over the long R.N. This internal friction could ultimately prove more consequential to its global rank than the rise of any single competitor.

Conclusion: Sustaining Leadership in a Contested World

In 2025, the world rank of the United States is not a single number but a complex portfolio.

It holds clear number one positions in the foundational metrics of economic, military, and technological power.

Yet, it is a middling performer in the crucial domains of social well-being and equality that form the bedrock of a healthy and sustainable society.

The United States remains the world’s sole superpower, but its leadership is more contested and its internal foundations more stressed than at any point in recent history.

The primary strategic imperative for the nation in the coming decades, therefore, may not be found in foreign policy but in domestic renewal.

Sustaining its preeminent global position will depend less on confronting rivals abroad and more on addressing its own deficits at home.

By investing in the health, education, and security of its own people, and by restoring a sense of political stability and common purpose, the United States can best ensure the long-term vitality of the economic and innovation ecosystems that are the ultimate sources of its enduring global power.

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