Countries are sorted by nominal
GDP estimates from financial and statistical institutions, which are calculated at market or government official
exchange rates. Nominal GDP does not take into account differences in the
cost of living in different countries, and the results can vary greatly from one year to another based on fluctuations in the
exchange rates of the country's
currency. Such fluctuations may change a country's ranking from one year to the next, even though they often make little or no difference in the standard of living of its population.