The largest industries in the world + where to place your bets for the 2030s

You’re reading the Growth Shuttle Insider, gathering 17,000+ B2B executives, investors, and professionals making smart strategic decisions based on a blend of macro and real-world business data.

In my last February newsletter, I shared how 116 years of GDP data have shaped the world to where it is today - including the Soviet Union being the second largest power in 1965 or Japan holding the third spot in 1988.

While this global map looks different today, it begs the question of:

What are the largest industries contributing to global GDP?

To stay on top of what’s going on, you can now create your own comprehensive dashboards straight in Microsoft Excel with Pine BI:

I’ve been compiling a really large dataset for macro analysis, S&P 500 charts, forex data for USD to EUR, inflation reports, and employment data to track down trends and uncover opportunities in this turbulent market. Relying on a trusted source of truth (core data sources) and quickly building out complete dashboards in Excel is a lifesaver - which is where Pine BI truly shines.

And as far as the GDP mapping, Insider Monkey developed a comprehensive report of the 20 largest industries in the world, ranked as follows:

1. Semiconductors

2. Internet Content & Information

3. Software - Infrastructure

4. Consumer Electronics

5. Drug Manufacturers

6. Internet Retail

7. Banks - Diversified

8. Software - Application

9. Insurance - Diversified

10. Oil & Gas Integrated

11. Credit Services

12. Biotechnology

13. Banks - Regional

14. Auto Manufacturers

15. Telcom Services

16. Discount Stores

17. Aerospace & Defense

18. Semiconductor Equipment & Materials

19. Utilities - Regulated Electric

20. Asset Management

You can pull Insider Monkey’s core analysis with additional revenue metrics and plug it into an Excel book for further insights.

And when it comes to world trade, Semiconductors lead the chart with $6,518.2B in market cap on top, powering a good number of the following categories in Internet, software, banks, auto and aerospace firmware, and other cross-industry integrations.

Some categories are only as strong as their global markets - including Internet Content, Aerospace & Defense, or Oil & Gas Integrated. Even if the biggest petrol exporters have all the resources internally, their value is tied to global demand and markets - and moving to electric vehicles or hydrogen engines may heavily impact the market.

The same goes for software or Internet solutions - while the market as a whole is booming, who benefits from that is a different question. Right now, semiconductor factories can benefit in Asia, Apple can benefit in the US, and the EU can consume both as a strong economy with nearly 70% of the US GDP.

Many of these relationships are tied to business trade and political partnerships - with global wars or recent tariffs able to lean either way.

I’m not going to talk about tariffs as everyone else does this week, other than recommending two analyses on this, one by Ray Dalio and the other post by Bill Ackman, along with a theory by Matthew Prince.

Global dependencies on digital use

TikTok reports half the monthly active users of the full Meta suite (including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp), but it’s not the only Chinese-first social network. WeChat also reports 1.3 billion as a messenger, along with Viber (820M) - founded in Israel, owned by Japan and strong in Europe. Telegram just reached a billion users by a Russian-born founder with their business headquartered in the UAE.

The AI race isn’t too different, along with the futuristic development of quantum computers, self-driving cars, live commerce, or life-saving drugs.

The reason global politics is so important (and impactful) is that, over the course of a decade or two, poorly managed global relationships can form stronger global bonds that accelerate adoption and R&D into different technologies, different software solutions, different AI models, and different manufacturers.

Toyota is the top-selling car manufacturer in the world and other Japanese brands aren’t too far off, despite the notorious evolution of manufacturing in both Europe and the US, and affordable vehicles built in China.

Any global conflict can tighten imports of Toyota cars globally, doubling down on local production or selling Teslas, Volkswagens, or BYDs.

Any US conflict can give Manus or Mistral and edge in the AI race, adopting models in governments and enterprises around the world, feeding critical data to continue developing LLMs.

What does US GDP include?

Right now, the US GDP is between $29 trillion and $30 trillion, with Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) estimated at nearly $20 trillion. That category includes:

• Nondurable goods (food/beverages, clothing and footwear, gasoline/energy)

• Durable goods (motor vehicles and parts, furniture and home appliances, recreational goods, jewelry/medical equipment)

• Services (housing, utilities, recreational, finance, and more)

While some expenses are fully localized - real estate, local groceries, local manufacturers or service providers - many have global footprint, involve global imports and rely heavily on other supply chain components.

Potential shifts in the trading policy can result in a supply shortage (similarly to the semiconductor shortage during COVID-19 times or logistics issues lasting weeks or even months during ship accidents or pirates) or massive spikes in costs rendering certain expenses unaffordable.

How to navigate trading decisions in the next 5+ years

Looking back into history, I can’t help but recommend “Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order” by Ray Dalio (again), going over 500 years of history and leading world powers taking over their predecessors. Some of these forces are predictable - dependent on:

• High level of debt

• Large wealth gaps

• Internal conflicts within the nation

• Decline in innovation

• Weak rules of law and institutional support

• Loss of competitiveness/productivity

• Reduced trust in the reserve currency

• Poor leadership and decision-making

• Decline in global trust and alliances

Reading the room based on these factors is the most sound decision in understanding the shift of different markets.

The top 10 countries by GDP today are: The US, China, Germany, Japan, India, the UK, France, Italy, Brazil, and Canada.

Each of them is a prospective target market to invest in, with certain categories staying on top.

Canada, the United Kingdom, and India are basically fluent in English. This opens up global opportunities easily - plus, their democratic model that’s more open-minded and easier to operate with globally.

China and India’s population of over 1.4 billion people each allows for rapid growth and affordable human power for manufacturing, production, engineering. Innovation opportunities are massive.

Germany, France, Italy are part of the EU. The union is the second largest GDP-wise combined.

Slicing the pie in different forms can make each market more lucrative, with diversification opportunities to base ~20% of your investments in.

I have investments in India’s tech market and European indexes, along with startups and businesses in both areas. And REITs are staying strong even during the volatile times today.

Are you paying enough attention to the global markets?

Mario

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📰 Streamline identity, simplify attribution. Nielsen’s tie-up with Acxiom Real ID helps marketers link audience targeting to performance measurement. See how this new partnership delivers seamless, data-driven media activation across platforms.

📰 Global ad budgets shrink, but digital holds strong. Rising economic challenges have trimmed spending estimates, with global ad budgets expected to drop by nearly $20B over the next two years. At the same time, digital advertising continues to perform well—players like Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta are projected to control over half of the market by 2029. See the full outlook in Adweek’s latest global ad spend forecast.

📰 Marketers build their own tools. One in four marketers is now developing in-house martech solutions, moving away from years of depending on pre-built platforms. The shift is being driven by AI’s role in making development faster and more accessible, according to the 2025 State of the Stack report.

📰 Streamlining certification at scale. With $11M in fresh Series A funding, Certiverse aims to change how certification exams are produced—trimming both costs and delivery timelines. The company wants to grow its SaaS platform to serve more than 1,000 organizations and make credentialing tools more accessible across industries.

📰 AI-powered automation at scale. Twin, a Paris startup, has partnered with Qonto to roll out its first operational agent, focused on collecting invoices from a wide range of services. It’s a practical shift from scripted automation. Read how Twin’s setup is starting to influence back-office infrastructure in SaaS.

📰 Where tariffs hit hardest. San Antonio stands out among U.S. metro areas most affected by Canada’s latest trade response, largely due to its export-heavy economy. The report digs into the data and identifies which regions face the greatest exposure.

📰 AI takes over video production. The number of brands using AI in video production more than doubled in a year, rising from 18% to 41%. From scripting to dubbing, teams are relying on tools that reduce manual effort. A closer look at how companies are shifting to AI-driven video creation without sacrificing quality.

📰 Revenue risk signals macro pressure. The IRS expects a 10% drop in tax collections, potentially costing the government more than $500 billion. As pressure builds on federal cash flow, concerns are growing over consumer compliance and timing of payments. This projected IRS revenue collapse could disrupt budget planning and bring policy changes forward.

📰 5 warning signs in the U.S. economy. The U.S. is showing patterns that have historically preceded turbulence in developing countries. In this assessment by an IMF veteran, the U.S. is flagged for debt dynamics, policy unpredictability, and weakening governance structures.

Let’s see the latest offers from Flippa. Don’t forget to sign up for their newsletter for daily/weekly/monthly offers such as these.

Family Lifestyle Blog: A 12-year-old blog with $56.6K annual profit, 91% margins, and over 100K monthly pageviews, generating revenue through SEO and advertisers, priced at $158,185

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🚨 US Investors don’t miss this fast-growing eCom brand with $2.1M TTM revenue and 63% growth, now raising $300K (min. investment: $5K) - View Deal 🔗 

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