Industrial production growth in the U.S., Japan and Europe per decade 1961 1990

Industrial production grew significantly in the 1960s, with Japan's output alone growing by an average of 13.6 percent each year. Growth in the U.S. and Western Europe grew at a relatively slower rate of 4.9 percent each year, however figures were much closer between Japan and the West in the 1970s and 1980s. The recession of 1973-1975 saw industrial output drop significantly across most of the countries shown, and growth rates among the major powers dropped again in the subsequent decade. There were, however, several southern European countries maintained growth rates of over five percent in the 1970s, while Ireland recorded its highest growth in the 1980s; the reason for these discrepancies is due to the fact that industrialization in Ireland and the Mediterranean countries began at a much later stage than the likes of France or Germany.