G7

The Group of Seven (G7) is an <a href="/facts/Intergovernmentalism/Kga9K6QQ">intergovernmental</a> political and economic forum consisting of <a href="/facts/Canada/D5P9yqs6">Canada</a>, <a href="/facts/France/CxIeIKM3">France</a>, <a href="/facts/Germany/paluuWBX">Germany</a>, <a href="/facts/Italy/tUf0PDYF">Italy</a>, <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a>, the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a> and the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a>; additionally, the <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">European Union</a> (EU) is a "non-enumerated member". It is organized around shared values of <a href="/facts/Cultural_pluralism/cktHqbku">pluralism</a>, <a href="/facts/Liberal_democracy/5blgnbkS">liberal democracy</a>, and <a href="/facts/Representative_democracy/svAbpym5">representative government</a>. G7 members are major <a href="/facts/Developed_country/sqwTSDHm">IMF advanced economies</a>.
Originating from an ad hoc gathering of <a href="/facts/Finance_minister/RtX0Y2gR">finance ministers</a> in 1973, the G7 has since become a formal, high-profile venue for discussing and coordinating solutions to major <a href="/facts/List_of_global_issues/1eGeWLeC">global issues</a>, especially in the areas of trade, security, economics, and <a href="/facts/Climate_change/rEN4BDE7">climate change</a>. Each member's <a href="/facts/Head_of_government/eHYPvGWL">head of government</a> or <a href="/facts/Head_of_state/U2QzdE4a">state</a>, along with the EU's <a href="/facts/President_of_the_European_Commission/b6H0Yf26">Commission president</a> and <a href="/facts/President_of_the_European_Council/y08CyCaw">European Council president</a>, meet annually at the G7 Summit; other high-ranking officials of the G7 and the EU meet throughout the year. Representatives of other states and international organizations are often invited as guests, with <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russia</a> having been a formal member (as part of the <a href="/facts/G8/dPszB9oo">G8</a>) from 1997 until its expulsion in 2014.
The G7 is not based on a treaty and has no permanent secretariat or office. It is organized through a presidency that rotates annually among the member states, with the presiding state setting the group's priorities and hosting the summit; Canada presides for 2025. While lacking a legal or institutional basis, the G7 is widely considered to wield significant international influence; it has catalyzed or spearheaded several major global initiatives, including efforts to combat the <a href="/facts/HIV%2fAIDS_pandemic/gUeGhxs0">HIV/AIDS pandemic</a>, provide financial aid to developing countries, and <a href="/facts/Climate_change_mitigation/GgkoeWMk">address climate change</a> through the 2015 <a href="/facts/Paris_Agreement/hfIXBN1W">Paris Agreement</a>. However, the group has been criticized by observers for its allegedly outdated and limited membership, narrow global representation, and ineffectualness. The rise of <a href="/facts/BRICS/FzdNoxGQ">BRICS+</a> for example, with its expanded membership and focus on <a href="/facts/South%25E2%2580%2593South_cooperation/CNFmw0RY">South-South cooperation</a>, reflects a broader shift in global power dynamics, with <a href="/facts/Emerging_market/DAdHmQnE">emerging economies</a> gaining greater influence in <a href="/facts/International_relations/FgLEX3Cy">international affairs</a>.
The G7 countries have together a population of about 780 million people (or almost 10% of the <a href="/facts/World_population/tzYcheuD">world population</a>), comprise around 50% of worldwide nominal <a href="/facts/Net_worth/1gsgnLRx">net wealth</a> and as of 2024 more than 44% of world nominal <a href="/facts/Gross_domestic_product/zQRgyFKc">GDP</a> and about 30% of world GDP by <a href="/facts/Purchasing_power_parity/qpRMGaXG">purchasing power parity</a>.

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G7