Money WondersPlay

Inflation & the EconomyThe Economy

GDP: The Size of the Pie

Everything a country makes in a year, in one number

One number sums up everything America makes. So why does cooking dinner at home count for nothing in it?

You'll find out

  • How big the US pie was in 2025
  • What gets counted, and what doesn't
  • The warning from GDP's own inventor

Why it matters

GDP drives headlines, elections and recessions. Knowing what it measures, and misses, keeps you from being fooled.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 71 · Zone 8

Play this lesson

Free to play in your browser or on iPhone

More in this zone

  1. 64InflationWhy a Dollar Buys LessPrices creep up nearly every year
  2. 65PricesThe 5-Cent CokeA bottle of Coca-Cola cost a nickel for over 70 years
  3. 66InflationYour Money in 20 YearsWhat today's savings will really buy later
  4. 67InflationWhat Causes InflationToo much money chasing too few goods, and other reasons
  5. 68InflationReal and NominalThe number you see and what it's really worth
  6. 69Central BanksZero Inflation Is the GoalThe Fed aims for about 2% on purpose
  7. 70ValueThe Wheelbarrow of MarksIn 1923 Germany, prices doubled every few days and a lifetime of savings turned into paper
  8. 72CurrenciesThe Big Mac IndexA burger that compares the world's currencies