The most powerful country in the world is not what you think it is

 While it may seem obvious that the United States holds the title of most powerful country in the world, you might be surprised to learn that it doesn’t actually hold that honor. In fact, at the time of this writing, it’s been tied with China in global power rankings, but recent events have caused China to surpass us as well. So what does this mean for America? The answer lies in how we got here and why we still hold so much power over our competitors. Here are some key factors to consider when thinking about which country holds the top spot as the most powerful country in the world.

All countries are equal, but some countries are more equal than others

With a GDP of $17.6 trillion dollars, China has become the second largest economy in the world behind that of America's $19.5 trillion GDP. China's strong economic growth rate of over six percent compounded annually over a period of 30 years has been its ticket to global dominance, which saw them overtake Japan to become second place as early as 2010 and just recently surpass America to take first place.

The three factors

Many people falsely believe that military power and technological innovation are the true measure of a nation's success. However, the third pillar of national power, economic strength, is actually much more indicative of a state's power and influence.

Power depends on your ability to inflict harm on others

When we talk about power, many people will say that the United States has one of the highest. But according to some experts, this is not necessarily true. There are other ways to measure power that don't rely on military strength alone.

Power can also come from being close to other sources of power

China and Russia are both huge countries with an abundance of natural resources. The United States controls many of these other resources and when trading with China and Russia, our two largest trade partners. China also relies on importing from other parts of the world to get their natural resources so we also have a strong bargaining position on this front.

Power is often viewed from an American perspective

If we're talking purely from a military standpoint, then the United States of America is by far the most powerful country on Earth. The U.S.

Most estimates do not take into account quality of life

Most would say that the United States, China, or Russia are some of the most powerful countries in the world. In reality, while they are all certainly considered among the great powers of today's international community and their military prowess cannot be denied, each of these countries rank below India according to data from Credit Suisse's 2017 global wealth report. As of June 2017, China ranked as third with $19.2 trillion followed by Russia at fourth with $9.2 trillion.

Understanding that this list doesn't really matter in terms of actual influence. It's just for fun.

It may come as a surprise to learn that Russia is by far the most powerful country in the world. Russia has suffered huge economic downturns over recent years but still manages to hold one of the largest economies on earth. The population for Russia, which stands at about 150 million people, means that it will continue to maintain its title as the strongest global power for decades to come.