If you plot the US' nominal GDP over time in terms of USD, it looks pretty smooth, while other countries bounce around a lot more.[0] That's because other countries' USD nominal GDPs are affected by exchange-rate fluctuations.
If you plot in terms of PPP GDP, other counties suddenly appear much smoother.[1]
If you plot in terms of PPP GDP, other counties suddenly appear much smoother.[1]
0. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?location...
1. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD?locat...