Multipolarity, explained
Remastered: 30 August 2026
- The US lost its role as the world’s only superpower.
- China-US rivalry intensified across regions and industries.
- Europe, India and “middle powers” gained independent influence.
Multipolarity is a system of global politics where power is shared among 3+ major players.
Until 2006, the US and its allies made up over 50% of the world’s economy (GDP at Purchasing Power Parity).
They now make up 35% of it, and “the West” is splitting into multiple actors, especially as the US and the EU separate politically.
BRICS+ is an organisation of countries that want greater influence in global affairs.
It created alternatives to international institutions like the World Bank, as part of an effort to reshape the US-led world order.
The rules-based international order is a system of cooperation based on free markets and global institutions like the United Nations or the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The US has left some international organisations, especially on climate action, foreign aid and global governance.
Since 2019, the US has made the WTO ineffective by blocking the appointment of new judges, making legally binding decisions impossible to pass.
- In 2025, it also put up tariffs on trade against WTO norms.
The US, the EU, China and India stand out as major players by their share of the world economy.
- Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, the UK, and other countries now also act more independently in foreign relations.
This has been described as unbalanced multipolarity, but global politics are specifically influenced by the bipolar rivalry between China and the US.
China has the world’s largest economy by purchasing power, accounting for 20% of global GDP.
China produced 27% of the world’s manufacturing output in 2025. The US produced 17%.
China leads the production of hardware for the “green transition”: electric cars, batteries, solar panels and more.
It controls most of the processing of the world’s key minerals, including battery components like lithium and the rare earths required for microchips, lasers and more.
The US is in the lead on cutting-edge AI technology, but China is the only close competitor.
China is expanding its microchip industry and looks to challenge the US and its allies in producing high-end chips.
China’s broad industrial capabilities translate into different industries, including military shipbuilding.
China now has a deep-water navy that rivals the US in size. It can also repair ships and build new ones quicker.
China is mass-producing 5th generation fighter jets and was the first country to test its 6th generation jet.
It also controls 80-90% of the market for drone components globally, which includes commercial ones.
What about the rest of the world?
Europe has been separating into an individual “pole” of the multipolar system, especially under US pressure to stop relying on it for defence.
- Tensions over Greenland are a sign of this split.
European states are increasing their military spending as part of the NATO-wide promise to allocate 3.5% of GDP for defence by 2035.
Türkiye has increased its influence in the Middle East after the fall of Assad.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed a NATO-style defence agreement in 2026, looking to add more members, such as Egypt.
India, while part of BRICS+, has a slow-burning conflict with China and keeps strong ties to the US.
It also has a fast-growing economy and the world’s largest population, with the potential to rival China and the US in the coming decades.
Indonesia, the world’s 7th largest economy, is another country with a balancing, multipolar approach to foreign policy.
Russia is a close ally of China, while the US under President Trump has been looking to potentially reach an agreement that could bring Russia closer to it and further away from China.
- In a multipolar global system, coalition partners play a greater role than in unipolar or bipolar systems.
Brazil has been pushed closer to China by tensions with the US, especially under the left-wing president Lula.
This could shift if the president changes after the October 2026 election, with a rival right-wing candidate pushing for closer US ties.
Japan has been moving closer to the US, especially under the current prime minister, who sees China as a potential threat, not an ally.
- The alliance between the US and Japan is relevant to the potential conflict over Taiwan.
Thank you for reading!
Hey, curious mind! Hope you enjoyed this report.
I started this project out of frustration with biased, opinionated, attention-grabbing news media filled with ads and placements.
Post factum alone cannot change the world; but we can share concise, factual, neutral, systematic, accessible and visual reporting, ad-free.
We need your help: memberships fund our work, and we need more readers to sign up to survive and continue our mission.
Please consider buying a Post factum Pro subscription:
On top of all the exclusive content, you get to support an independent, reader-powered outlet against the mainstream media juggernaut.
Keep exploring:
This week on Post factum Pro:
Join Post factum Pro to access the comment section.