Study from Global Insight Says China to be Number 1 in 2009. Rapid Chinese growth, combined with US slowdown is expected to bring change to the top spot earlier than expected and this gap is expected to continue to widen. For 2008, Global Insight says the US will produce 16.9% of global value-added factory output, with China at 15%. In 2009, however, China’s global share should rise to 17%, with the US having a 16% share. The numbers do not reflect absolute levels of manufacturing output, but rather relative ones. So, the US has been losing global manufacturing market share even as its own factory volumes rise, but not nearly as quickly as China’s growth.
