The Group of Seven
The G7
Seven advanced economies and the European Union, meeting without a secretariat, a treaty or a vote. What the G7 is, what it decides, and who is around the table in 2026.
Updated September 2026
Latest — G7
All analysis →What the G7 is
The G7 is an informal forum of seven advanced economies — France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada — together with the European Union. It has no charter, no headquarters and no permanent staff. Its power lies in the fact that its members can agree quickly, and that between them they account for a substantial share of global output and the overwhelming majority of official development assistance.
The presidency rotates annually. The country holding it sets the agenda, hosts the ministerial meetings through the year, and chairs the leaders' summit. Because there is no secretariat, the presidency effectively is the institution for twelve months — which is why the choice of theme by each host matters far more here than at a treaty-based body.
Decisions are reached by consensus and expressed in a communiqué. Nothing in that document is legally binding. What gives it force is that seven governments have put their names to it, and that finance ministries, central banks and regulators then act on it.
2026 — the French presidency
France held the G7 presidency in 2026 and hosted the 52nd summit at Évian-les-Bains from 15 to 17 June 2026, on the shore of Lake Geneva near the Swiss border. It was the first G7 summit for Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and the last for President Macron as host. Évian had hosted the summit once before, as the G8 in 2003.
Who is at the table
| Member | Leader | Office |
|---|---|---|
| France | Emmanuel Macron | President — 2026 presidency, host of the Évian summit |
| United States | Donald Trump | President — assumes the G7 presidency in 2027 |
| United Kingdom | Andy Burnham | Prime Minister — took office 20 July 2026 |
| Germany | Friedrich Merz | Chancellor |
| Italy | Giorgia Meloni | Prime Minister |
| Japan | Sanae Takaichi | Prime Minister |
| Canada | Mark Carney | Prime Minister |
| European Union | António Costa & Ursula von der Leyen | President of the European Council; President of the European Commission |
The European Union attends every summit and is represented by the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission. It does not hold the rotating presidency.
Évian 2026 — the documents
| Leaders’ document | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Leaders’ Statement for a More Balanced, Durable and Resilient Growth | 17 Jun 2026 | |
| G7 Leaders’ Declaration on Securing Supply Chains for Critical Minerals | 17 Jun 2026 | |
| Annex — Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance | 17 Jun 2026 | |
| Leaders’ Call on a Safer Digital Space for Minors | 17 Jun 2026 | |
| Leaders’ Call on the Fight Against Cancer | 16 Jun 2026 | |
| Leaders’ Call for a Coordinated Response to the Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak | 16 Jun 2026 | |
| Leaders’ Declaration on Mutually Beneficial International Partnerships | 16 Jun 2026 | |
| Leaders’ Declaration on the Fight Against Drug Trafficking | 16 Jun 2026 | |
| Leaders’ Declaration on Tackling Migrant Smuggling | 16 Jun 2026 | |
| G7 Leaders’ Statement on Geopolitical Issues | 16 Jun 2026 |
| French presidency paper | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Priority 3: Best Practices and Knowledge Sharing for Efficient, Resilient, High-Performance AI | 29 May 2026 | PDF · Digital ministers |
| Illustrative List of G7 Practices on Resource Efficiency in Digital Technologies | 29 May 2026 | PDF · Digital ministers |
| Agentic AI: Deployment, Adoption and Impacts | June 2026 | PDF · Digital ministers |
| Dossier de presse — Finance and Digital tracks of the French G7 presidency (French) | 3 Feb 2026 | PDF · Finance & digital |
Official texts as released by the French G7 presidency, the Council of the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Next presidency
G7 United States — 2027
The United States takes the G7 presidency in 2027 and will host the 53rd summit. It is the first American G7 presidency since 2020, and it falls in the year after the United States chairs the G20 — an unusual back-to-back that puts Washington in the chair of both forums across two consecutive years.
Enquire about the G7 2027 publication Book a briefing with Chris Atkins
Presidency rotation
| Year | Presidency | Summit |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Japan | Hiroshima |
| 2024 | Italy | Apulia |
| 2025 | Canada | Kananaskis — 50th anniversary of the G7 |
| 2026 | France | Évian, 15–17 June |
| 2027 | United States | 53rd summit — venue to be confirmed |
| 2028 | United Kingdom | Expected under the rotation |
| 2029 | Germany | Expected under the rotation |
| 2030 | Japan | Expected under the rotation |
| 2031 | Italy | Expected under the rotation |
| 2032 | Canada | Expected under the rotation |
The presidency follows a fixed order — France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada — so each member hosts once every seven years. Years after 2027 follow that order and are not yet formally announced.
Fifty years in six moments
Rambouillet: six leaders, one château
France convenes the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, West Germany, Italy and Japan to talk through the oil shock and the end of fixed exchange rates. It was convened as an informal, one-off gathering.
Canada joins — the G7 is complete
At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Canada takes its seat. The European Community is invited from London in 1977, and has attended every summit since.
Denver: the Summit of the Eight
Russia is brought into the leaders' summit. Group of Nations publishes the first-ever G7 summit publication for Denver, and has covered every presidency since.
Birmingham: the G8 made formal
The United Kingdom hosts the first summit of the G8 as a full group of eight.
Back to seven
Russia is suspended after the annexation of Crimea. The planned Sochi summit is replaced by a G7 meeting in Brussels, and the group has met as seven ever since.
Kananaskis: the fiftieth anniversary
Canada hosts the 50th anniversary summit in the Rockies — marked by Group of Nations with the 50th Anniversary G7 Canada Summit review.
In Pictures
Full picture desk →
Our G7 record
Group of Nations produced the first-ever G7 Summit publication for the Denver Summit of the Eight in June 1997, and has covered the presidency ever since. Recent editions include the 50th Anniversary G7 Canada Summit review, G7 Italy at Apulia, and the G7 Hiroshima Global Briefing Report Review.
View the publications Book a briefing
G7 questions, answered
What is the G7?
The G7, or Group of Seven, is an informal forum of seven advanced economies — France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada — together with the European Union. It has no charter, secretariat or permanent staff; its leaders meet once a year at a summit hosted by the country holding the presidency.
Who holds the G7 presidency in 2027?
The United States. It takes over from France, which held the presidency in 2026 and hosted the 52nd summit at Évian-les-Bains from 15 to 17 June 2026. The United States will host the 53rd summit; the venue is still to be confirmed.
Is Russia a member of the G7?
No. Russia was brought into the leaders' summit at Denver in 1997 and the group became the G8 in 1998, but Russia was suspended in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea. The group has met as the G7 ever since.
Are G7 decisions legally binding?
No. The G7 agrees by consensus and publishes its conclusions in a communiqué. Nothing in it is binding in law; its weight comes from seven governments putting their names to it, and from the ministries, central banks and regulators that act on it afterwards.
What is the difference between the G7 and the G20?
The G7 is a small group of advanced economies plus the EU. The G20 is broader: nineteen countries plus the European Union and the African Union, including China, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. The G20 was elevated to leaders' level in 2008 to handle the financial crisis.
Does Group of Nations publish the G7 summit publication?
Group of Nations produced the first-ever G7 summit publication for Denver in 1997 and has covered the presidency since. The Summits is an independent publication; editions produced with the authorisation of a host committee or presidency are identified as such. To discuss the G7 United States 2027 edition, book a briefing.
Summit alerts
Know what is being published, before it is published.
A short note ahead of each summit — the edition in production, the deadline for inclusion, and what the presidency has put on the agenda. No more than one a month.