Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in United States
United States: Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 81.9% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in United States, 1839–2016
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % GDP.
Analysis
United States recorded 81.9% for share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2016. That is the highest value across all 115 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in United States peaked at 81.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 37.0%, in 1869.
That places United States 2nd out of 43 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 115 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 38.0% | 38.0% | 38.0% | 1 |
| 1840s | 39.0% | 39.0% | 39.0% | 1 |
| 1850s | 41.0% | 41.0% | 41.0% | 1 |
| 1860s | 37.0% | 37.0% | 37.0% | 1 |
| 1870s | 42.0% | 42.0% | 42.0% | 1 |
| 1880s | 46.0% | 46.0% | 46.0% | 1 |
| 1890s | 47.0% | 47.0% | 47.0% | 1 |
| 1900s | 49.8% | 49.8% | 49.8% | 1 |
| 1910s | 49.8% | 45.2% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 1920s | 59.7% | 54.5% | 62.8% | 10 |
| 1930s | 61.1% | 55.8% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 1940s | 56.0% | 49.9% | 61.1% | 10 |
| 1950s | 61.4% | 58.9% | 64.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 65.8% | 64.7% | 67.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 69.0% | 68.1% | 69.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 72.6% | 69.3% | 74.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.3% | 75.4% | 78.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.5% | 78.5% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.7% | 80.0% | 81.9% | 7 |
Countries ranked near United States
More economy & growth data for United States
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP -3.1% (2024)
- Inflation of consumer prices 2.9% (2024)
- GDP per capita 67,946 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 10.5% (2021)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 23.22 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 67,946 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 1 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -273.12 billion current LCU (2024)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -273.12 billion current US$ (2024)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 829.22 billion current LCU (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in United States?
- Share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in United States was 81.9% in 2016, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 81.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.0% in 1869.
- How does United States rank for share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 43 countries with data for 2016.
- Is share of services as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of services as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 115 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The vertical axis shows historical estimates of the value of services divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. The horizontal axis shows GDP per capita, adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.