G20 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
G20

Family photo at the 2024 G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Member countries of the G20      Countries represented through the membership of the European Union      Countries represented through the membership of the African Union      Countries permanently invited (Spain)
Predecessor	2024 G20 Rio de Janeiro summit
Successor	2025 G20 Johannesburg Summit
Formation	26 September 1999 (25 years ago) (1999-09-26) 2008 (2008)
Type	International organization
Purpose	Bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.
Membership	21 members  Argentina  Australia  Brazil  Canada  China  France  Germany  India  Indonesia  Italy  Japan Mexico  Russia  Saudi Arabia  South Africa  South Korea  Turkey  United Kingdom  United States  African Union  European Union
Chairman (Incumbent)	Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa

The G20, or Group of 20, is a special group of 19 countries, plus the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). These members work together to solve big problems facing the global economy. They discuss things like how to keep money stable around the world, how to fight climate change, and how to help countries grow in a way that lasts. They do this through yearly meetings of their top leaders.

The countries in the G20 are very important. They make up about 85% of the world's total economic output. They also handle about 75% of all international trade. About 56% of the world's people live in G20 countries. When you include the EU and AU, the G20 represents almost 79% of the global population.

The G20 started in 1999 because of several money problems around the world. Since 2008, the group has met at least once a year. These meetings, called summits, bring together presidents, prime ministers, finance ministers, and other important officials. Other countries and international groups are sometimes invited to join these summits. The African Union became the 21st member at the 2023 summit in India.

At their 2009 meeting in London, the G20 said it was the main place for countries to work together on money and economy issues. Many people now see the G20 as having a lot of power in the world. However, some people criticize it because it doesn't include all countries. They also say it doesn't have much power to make countries follow its decisions.

History of the G20 Group

The G20 is one of many efforts since World War II to help countries work together on money matters. Other groups include the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The idea for the G20 came up at a meeting of the G7 group in June 1999. It was officially started on September 26, 1999. The first meeting happened in Berlin in December 1999. Paul Martin, Canada's finance minister, was the first chairman.

The G20 was created because of big money problems in the late 1990s. These problems affected many countries around the world. Leaders realized that older groups like the G7 couldn't keep the world's money system stable alone. They needed a new, bigger group of major economies to help.

Early Discussions and Goals

The G20's main goal from the start was to manage the global economy. The topics discussed at their meetings change each year. For example, in 2006, they talked about how to keep countries rich and growing. They also discussed global energy markets and changes to the World Bank and IMF.

In 2008, Brazil's finance minister, Guido Mantega, was the G20 chairman. He suggested talking about fair competition in money markets and clean energy. On October 11, 2008, after a meeting of G8 finance ministers, US President George W. Bush said the next G20 meeting would be important for solving the big economic crisis happening then.

G20 Summits and Meetings

The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meet to prepare for the leaders' summits. These meetings help them make decisions and put them into action. The G20 leaders' summits started in 2008.

After the first summit in Washington, D.C., in 2008, G20 leaders met twice a year. They met in London and Pittsburgh in 2009. They also met in Toronto and Seoul in 2010.

Since 2011, the summits have been held once a year. The 2016 summit was in Hangzhou, China. The 2017 summit was in Hamburg, Germany. The 2018 summit was in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 2019 summit was in Osaka, Japan. The 2020 summit was held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 summit was in Rome, Italy. The 2022 summit was in Bali, Indonesia. The 2023 summit was in New Delhi, India. The 2024 G20 Summit took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Other G20 meetings for different ministers have also happened. Agriculture ministers met in 2011 and 2012. Foreign ministers met in 2012 and 2013. Trade ministers met in 2012 and 2014. Employment ministers have met every year since 2010.

In 2012, G20 tourism ministers met in Mexico. They talked about how tourism can create jobs. The G20 leaders then agreed that travel and tourism are important for creating jobs and helping economies grow.

In March 2014, Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, suggested banning Russia from the summit. This was because Russia had taken over Crimea from Ukraine. However, other countries reminded her that the G20 belongs to all members equally.

The 2015 G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey, focused on including everyone, investing, and putting plans into action. Leaders discussed global money problems, development, climate change, and issues like terrorism and refugees. They made plans for stable money, tax rules, and energy.

In 2016, the G20 promised to work on the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. They focused on strong growth, protecting the planet, and helping developing countries. At the Hangzhou summit, members agreed on a plan to help make these goals happen.

The 2020 summit was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 summit was held in Rome, Italy.

Indonesia hosted the 2022 summit in Bali. Indonesia focused on the global COVID-19 pandemic and how to solve related problems together. Their main goals were global health, digital changes, and clean energy. They also launched the Pandemic Fund to help reduce risks from future health crises.

Azali Assoumani, President of the African Union, is greeted by Narendra Modi, G20 Chairman, at the G20 summit in 2023.

India hosted the 2023 summit in New Delhi. The theme was "One Earth, One Family, One Future." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the G20 was focusing on human-centered development. This included helping the Global South with climate change and debt problems. The G20 also welcomed the African Union as a new member.

The 2024 Brazilian presidency started the G20 Social. This is a new way for regular people and groups to share their ideas and help with the summit's discussions.

How the Chair Rotates

To decide which country leads the G20 each year, members are put into five groups. Countries from the same region are usually in the same group. When it's a group's turn, the countries in that group decide who will be the G20 President. Each year, a different G20 country takes over the presidency from December 1st to November 30th. This system has been used since 2010.

To make sure things run smoothly, the current leader works with the past and next host countries. This group is called the "troika."

How the G20 is Organized

The G20 does not have a main office or a permanent staff. The country that is leading the group (the presidency) changes every year. This country sets up a temporary office to help organize meetings and coordinate the group's work. The "troika" (the current, past, and next host countries) helps make sure the change in leadership is smooth.

The 2022 summit was held in Bali, Indonesia. India was the leader in 2023 and hosted the 2023 summit. South Africa is the current chair and will host the 2025 Johannesburg Summit.

Some people have suggested creating a permanent G20 office, like the United Nations has. France's President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested this in 2010. Brazil and China liked the idea, but Italy and Japan did not. South Korea suggested a "cyber secretariat" instead.

Who are the G20 Members?

As of 2023, there are 21 members in the G20: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, and the African Union.

Other guests are often invited, such as Spain, the United Nations, the World Bank, and ASEAN.

At the leaders' summits, the top leaders of these 19 countries, the African Union, and the European Union attend. At other meetings, finance ministers and central bank governors attend.

Each year, the G20 also invites Spain, the leader of ASEAN, a representative from the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and usually one or more countries chosen by the host country.

In September 2023, at the 18th G20 Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the African Union had joined as the 21st member.

Important Facts About Member Countries

Member	Trade bil. USD (2022)	Nom. GDP mil. USD (2025)	PPP GDP mil. USD (2025)	Nom. GDP per capita USD (2025)	PPP GDP per capita USD (2025)	HDI (2023)	Population (2022)	Area km2	P5	G4	G7	BRICS	MIKTA	CPTPP	RCEP	APEC	OECD	DAC	C'wth	SCO	IMF economy classification
Argentina	170.1	683,533	1,493,423	14,362	31,379	0.865	46,300,000	2,780,400	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	negotiating	No	No	No	Emerging
Australia	721.4	1,771,681	1,980,022	64,547	72,138	0.958	26,141,369	7,692,024	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Advanced
Brazil	626.4	2,125,958	4,958,122	9,964	23,238	0.786	217,240,060	8,515,767	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	negotiating	No	No	No	Emerging
Canada	1,179.1	2,225,341	2,730,110	53,558	65,707	0.939	38,743,000	9,984,670	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Advanced
China	6,309.6	19,231,705	40,716,448	13,687	28,978	0.797	1,411,750,000	9,596,960	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	applicant	Yes	Yes	participant	No	No	Yes	Emerging
France	1,435.8	3,211,292	4,503,783	46,792	65,626	0.920	68,305,148	640,679	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Advanced
Germany	3,226.9	4,744,804	6,161,002	55,911	72,599	0.959	84,316,622	357,114	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Advanced
India	1,176.8	4,187,017	17,647,050	2,878	12,132	0.685	1,406,632,000	3,287,263	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	participant	No	Yes	Yes	Emerging
Indonesia	529.4	1,429,743	5,009,483	5,027	17,612	0.728	279,088,893	1,904,569	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	applicant	Yes	Yes	negotiating	No	No	No	Emerging
Italy	1,346.4	2,422,855	3,719,110	41,091	63,076	0.915	61,095,551	301,336	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Advanced
Japan	1,644.2	4,186,431	6,741,192	33,956	54,677	0.925	125,592,404	377,930	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Advanced
Mexico	1,204.5	1,692,640	3,395,916	12,692	25,463	0.789	131,541,424	1,964,375	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Emerging
South Korea	1,415.0	1,790,322	3,365,052	34,642	65,112	0.937	51,844,834	100,210	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Advanced
Russia	772.3	2,076,396	7,191,718	14,258	49,383	0.832	145,807,429	17,098,242	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Emerging
Saudi Arabia	598.8	1,083,749	2,229,611	30,099	61,923	0.900	36,168,000	2,149,690	No	No	No	invited	No	No	No	No	No	participant	No	Dialogue partner	Emerging
South Africa	259.1	410,338	1,025,615	6,397	15,989	0.741	61,060,000	1,221,037	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	participant	No	Yes	No	Emerging
Turkey	617.9	1,437,406	3,651,873	16,709	42,451	0.853	85,551,932	783,562	No	No	No	partner (unconfirmed)	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Dialogue partner	Emerging
United Kingdom	1,353.3	3,839,180	4,447,841	54,949	63,661	0.946	68,492,933	242,495	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Advanced
United States	5,441.0	30,507,217	30,507,217	89,105	89,105	0.938	337,341,954	9,833,517	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Advanced
European Union	5,858.4	19,991,160	29,176,749	44,225	64,545	0.900	446,828,803	4,233,262	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	participant	Yes	No	No	Advanced (majority)
African Union	1,379.0	2,834,002	10,826,442	1,930	7,373	0.577	1,393,676,444	29,922,059	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Emerging

The G20's members are not always the 21 largest economies in the world. The group says it chooses members based on their importance to the world's money system. They also consider things like how many people live in a country and its location. This helps make sure the group is fair and effective.

Asia's Role in the G20

A report from 2011 said that big Asian economies like China and India would become more important in managing the world's money. The report suggested that the rise of these countries would create a new world order. It said the G20 would become the main group guiding the global economy. Asian countries helped the world recover after the economic problems of the late 2000s. The report predicted that Asia would have a bigger role in shaping the G20's plans for steady growth.

Invited Guests to G20 Meetings

G20 members (dark blue), countries represented through the European Union and African Union (light blue) and previously invited states (pink) as of 2024.

Many participants who are not full G20 members are invited to the summits. Some guests are always invited. These include the government of Spain, the leader of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a representative from the New Partnership for Africa's Development.

Leaders from other international groups also attend. These include the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, and the United Nations. They help plan the summits based on their group's goals.

The host country also chooses other guests, usually one or two countries from its region. For example, South Korea invited Singapore in the past. Other international groups have also been invited.

What the G20 Discusses

Focus on Money and Growth

The first goal of the G20 was to make sure countries could pay their debts. They also wanted to keep the world's money system stable. They wanted to include large developing economies as equal partners. In November 2008, the group's leaders promised to give a lot of money to international financial groups. This was mainly to help fix the global money system.

Since it started, the G20 has mostly talked about global economic growth, international trade, and rules for money markets. The G20 also started a plan to pause debt payments for 73 of the poorest countries.

Growth and Protecting the Planet

The G20 countries produce almost 75% of the world's carbon emissions. After the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement were made in 2015, the G20 added more topics to its discussions. These included migration, digital technology, jobs, healthcare, helping women in the economy, and stopping climate change.

Even though G20 countries promised in 2009 to stop supporting fossil fuels, they have continued to do so. Between 2015 and 2021, G20 members gave over $3.3 trillion to fossil fuel companies. Some countries even increased their support. China alone creates more than half of the world's electricity from coal.

Connected Global Issues

Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany's finance minister, said that all the problems G20 countries face are connected. This includes money issues and development. He said they need to find solutions that work for many different problems. He noted that while globalization has helped many people, it has also caused frustration for some. He stressed that development, safety, and migration are all linked.

G20 Working Groups

The G20 has different "engagement groups" and pre-conferences. These are independent groups led by organizations in the host country. They bring together many different people and groups. They work together to create ideas and suggestions for the G20 leaders to consider.

For the 2022 G20 in Indonesia, there were 10 engagement groups. These groups helped independent people and organizations create ideas and suggestions for the G20 leaders. New groups like Startup20 were started under India's G20 leadership in 2023.

Influence and Fairness

The G20 has powerful members, which gives it a strong say in global policy. However, it doesn't have the power to force countries to follow its rules. Some people question if the G20 is fair. They also criticize how it is organized and if its decisions actually work.

Critics say the G20 is not very open or accountable. They point out that there is no official rulebook. Also, the most important G20 meetings are held in private. In 2001, an economist named Frances Stewart suggested a different idea. She proposed an Economic Security Council within the United Nations. Members would be chosen by the General Assembly based on their importance to the world economy.

The cost of security for the summits is often a big issue in the host country. G20 summits have also attracted protesters. These include people who are against globalization. In 2010, the Toronto G20 summit led to large protests and riots. This resulted in the biggest mass arrest in Canada's history.

Views on G20 Membership

The G20 says its economic power and many members make it fair and influential. However, some people disagree. A 2011 report said the G20 was too exclusive. It especially noted that African countries were not well represented. It said inviting observers was not enough to make the group truly fair.

US President Barack Obama noted that it's hard to make everyone happy. He said, "Everybody wants the smallest possible group that includes them." Others said in 2011 that the group could become more inclusive.

Norway's View

Norway believes in including all countries in international discussions. In a 2010 interview, Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, called the G20 "one of the greatest setbacks since World War II." He said this because 173 countries that are members of the UN are not in the G20. This includes Norway, which is a rich country and a big helper in UN development programs. Norway, like other such countries, has little say in the G20.

Støre argued that the G20 weakens the power of international groups created after World War II. These include the IMF, World Bank, and United Nations. He said, "The G20 is a self-appointed group. Its members are chosen by the major countries and powers." He felt that the world no longer needed a group where only big powers decided things.

However, Norway has since worked with the G20 on topics like health, energy, and climate. Norway also attended the 2017 G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Spain's Position

Spain is a large economy, the fourth largest in the European Union. It is also a big investor around the world. Its economic numbers are bigger than some current G20 members like Argentina or South Africa. This has led some to say Spain is like a G20 member without officially being one. However, Spain, which is a permanent guest, does not plan to ask for official membership.

Poland's Hopes

Unlike Spain, the government of Poland has often asked to join the G20.

Before the 2009 G20 London summit, Poland wanted to join with Spain and the Netherlands. They said there was a "mess" where a few European leaders spoke for the whole EU without proper permission.

In 2010, Polish president Lech Kaczyński said that Poland's economy was the 18th largest in the world. He believed Poland should be a G20 member because of its size and its history of political and economic change.

In 2012, Tim Ferguson wrote in Forbes that Poland should replace Argentina in the G20. He said Poland's economy was becoming a leader in Europe. A similar idea was shared by Marcin Sobczyk in the Wall Street Journal. Mamta Murthi from the World Bank said Poland should keep working as if it were already in the group it wants to join.

In 2014, a company called Ernst & Young said Poland should be one of the best G20 members. This was after they looked at trade and investment links. G20 membership has been a goal for Poland's Law and Justice party. In March 2017, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, attended a G20 finance ministers' meeting. He was the first Polish representative to do so.

Global Governance Group Response

In June 2010, Singapore's representative to the United Nations told the G20 that its decisions affect "all countries, big and small." He said that important non-G20 members should be part of talks about money reforms. Singapore then helped create the Global Governance Group (3G). This is a group of 30 non-G20 countries that work together to share their ideas with the G20. Singapore's leadership of the 3G was a reason it was invited to several G20 summits.

Criticism from Foreign Policy Magazine

The American magazine Foreign Policy has criticized the G20. It questioned the actions of some G20 members. It also suggested that some countries should not be members at all. The magazine also said the G20 had failed to fix the world's money problems after the Great Recession.

Calls to Remove Russia

In March 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden called for Russia to be removed from the G20. He also suggested that Ukraine should be allowed to attend the 2022 G20 summit, even though it is not a member. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said the group should rethink Russia's involvement. Russia said it would not be a big problem if they were removed. China suggested that removing Russia would not help.

In November 2022, Indonesia and Russia said that Vladimir Putin would not attend the G20 summit in person. During the 2022 summit, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke in a video. He called the group the 'G19' to show his view that Russia should be removed. Even though the group did not directly criticize Russia for the war in 2023, Putin was not at the G20 summit.

See also

In Spanish: G20 para niños

• Model G20
• G8
• G7
• Regional Power
• League of Nations
• MIKTA
• BRICS
• United Nations