Full Rankings — Bar Chart
2025 Annual Returns by Country (Local Currency)
Price return · Full calendar year 2025 · Hover or tap a row for context
+26%
🇯🇵 Japan · Nikkei 225Japan led all major markets in 2025 with a 26% return — four percentage points above the UK. The rally was driven by corporate governance reforms, weak yen boosting exporters, and global investor rotation into undervalued Japanese equities. Source: Visual Capitalist / Yahoo Finance, Jan 2026.
+22%
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · FTSE 100The UK finished second despite ongoing economic headwinds. FTSE 100's heavy weighting toward energy, mining, and financials benefited from commodity price recovery and resilient global trade in 2025. Source: Visual Capitalist / TradingView, Jan 2026.
+20%
🇩🇪 Germany · DAX / Euro Stoxx 50Germany returned +20% despite US tariff headwinds. The DAX benefited from a rebound in industrial production and strong auto sector recovery. Notably, Germany outperformed the USA despite being a primary target of 2025 trade measures. Source: Visual Capitalist, Jan 2026.
+19%
🇨🇳 China · CSI 300China returned +19% in 2025, recovering from years of underperformance. Government stimulus, tech sector revival, and renewed consumer spending drove the rally. However, the SSE Composite has still not recovered its 2015 peak. Source: Visual Capitalist, Jan 2026.
+16.4%
🇺🇸 United States · S&P 500The US returned 16.39% in 2025 — well above its historical ~10% average, but second-lowest among peers. Despite reaching record highs, the S&P 500 lagged six major foreign markets. The 10-year annualised return (2015–2025) remains the world's highest at ~17%. Source: UWSP / Yahoo Finance, Jan 2026.
~+8%
🇮🇳 India · Nifty 50India's 2025 return was muted at ~8%, affected by currency pressures and global risk-off sentiment. However, India had the lowest and shortest drop post-US tariff shock (April 2025) — only 2.1% of India's GDP is US merchandise exports. Over 20 years, Nifty 50 has returned ~11.5% annually — marginally beating the S&P 500's ~10.7%. Source: Visual Capitalist, Samco Research.
Sources: Visual Capitalist / Terzo (Jan 2026) · Yahoo Finance · TradingView · US = S&P 500, UK = FTSE 100, Germany = Euro Stoxx 50, Japan = Nikkei 225, India = Nifty 50, China = CSI 300 · Returns in local currency; USD-adjusted figures vary.
Country Scorecards
🇯🇵
2025 Leader
Japan
Nikkei 225
+26%
2025 Annual Return
Japan · Nikkei 22510-yr annualised: ~8–9% · Corporate governance reforms + weak yen + global rotation drove 2025 outperformance. High currency risk for non-yen investors. Source: Visual Capitalist, Jan 2026.
🇬🇧
2nd Place 2025
United Kingdom
FTSE 100
+22%
2025 Annual Return
UK · FTSE 10010-yr annualised: ~5–7% · Heavy energy and financials weighting drove outperformance. FTSE 100 benefits from global commodity exposure. Source: Visual Capitalist, Jan 2026.
🇩🇪
3rd Place 2025
Germany
DAX / Euro Stoxx 50
+20%
2025 Annual Return
Germany · DAX10-yr annualised: ~7–8% · Beat the US despite being a tariff target. Industrial rebound and auto sector recovery drove gains. Key risk: energy dependence and trade exposure. Source: Visual Capitalist, Jan 2026.
🇨🇳
High Risk / High Return
China
CSI 300
+19%
2025 Annual Return
China · CSI 300Despite the strong 2025 return, SSE Composite has not recovered its 2015 peak — a decade of flat returns. Key risks: regulatory unpredictability, geopolitical tension, delisting threats. Source: Visual Capitalist / UWSP, Jan 2026.
🇺🇸
Best 10-Year Record
United States
S&P 500
+16.4%
2025 · Best 10-yr at ~17% p.a.
USA · S&P 500Best 10-yr annualised return (2015–25): ~17%. A $10,000 investment in 2015 → ~$50,000 by 2025. Lagged 6 markets in 2025 despite hitting record highs. 20-yr return: ~10.7%. Source: HelloSafe / Visual Capitalist, Apr 2025.
🇮🇳
Best 20-Year Record
India
Nifty 50 / Sensex
~+8%
2025 · 20-yr at ~11.5% p.a.
India · Nifty 5020-yr annualised: ~11.5% vs US ~10.7%. Muted 2025 but lowest drop from US tariff shock. Only 2.1% of GDP depends on US goods exports — natural resilience. Best long-term bet for rupee-based investors. Source: Samco Research, Mar 2026.
Sources: Visual Capitalist / Terzo (Jan 2026) · HelloSafe data via Visual Capitalist (Apr 2025) · Samco Knowledge Center (Mar 2026) · University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point blog (Jan 2026) · Yahoo Finance · TradingView