Member states of the G8 - Group of Eight (2024)

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Founding and goals

After the oil crisis in 1975 and the collapse of the exchange rate system, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States first set up a network of five countries to meet informally to discuss purely financial policy issues. Japan joined in the same year and Canada joined in 1976. Until the 1980s, these were also the largest economies in the world.

In the course of time, the goals changed and the subject area was expanded to include other global issues, such as the environment, education, trade and terrorism. Russia's accession in 1998 brought a new focus on disarmament and the initiative against weapons of mass destruction. On the whole, the topics are now tending strongly towards foreign policy areas.

Overall, the meetings of the G7 and G8 partners have remained informal. Although representatives of other states and, increasingly, entire hordes of government employees, take part, the results still have no binding character. Only the allies themselves have committed to complying with the decisions.

Due to its composition of exclusively leading industrialized nations, the alliance is subject to much criticism. The most common argument is that its composition is not representative of the world's population, even though the member countries decide about all other states. The informal character is also often criticized because it is not disclosed how individual decisions were reached.

The remaining G7 countries account for about two thirds of the world's gross national income.

Dependent territories

Some of the above-mentioned member states have other external territories dependent on them. These are not independent states, but they do have some economic and political autonomy. The G8 treaties apply to them at least in part. These countries are not listed as official member states.