<P> The Soviet Union and the United States fulfilled the superpower criteria in the following ways: </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> </Th> <Th> Soviet Union </Th> <Th> United States </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Demography </Td> <Td> Had a population of 286.7 million in 1989, the third largest on Earth behind China and India . </Td> <Td> Had a population of 248.7 million in 1990, at that time the fourth largest on Earth behind China, India and the Soviet Union . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Geography </Td> <Td> Largest state in the world (actually a superstate), with a surface area of 22,270,000 km (8,600,000 sq mi). </Td> <Td> Third or fourth largest country in the world, with an area of 9,526,468 km (3,678,190 sq mi). </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Economy </Td> <Td> GDP of $2.9 trillion in 1990 (equivalent to $5.3 trillion in 2016). Second largest economy in the world . Enormous mineral energy resources and fuel supply . Generally self - sufficient using a minimal amount of imports, though suffered resource inadequacies such as in agriculture . Marxist economic theory based primarily on production: Large - scale industrial production directed by centralised state organs leading to a high degree of inefficiency . Five - year plans frequently used to accomplish economic goals . Economic benefits such as guaranteed employment, free healthcare, free education provided to all levels of society, though were frequently below Western standards such as in health care . Economy tied to Central and Eastern - European satellite states . </Td> <Td> GDP of $5.2 trillion in 1990 (equivalent to $9.5 trillion in 2016). Largest economy in the world . Capitalist free market economic theory based on supply and demand: production determined by customers' demands, though it also included rising income inequality since 1979 . Enormous industrial base and a large and modernized farming industry . Large volume of imports and exports . Large resources of minerals, energy resources, metals, and timber . High standard of living with accessibility to many manufactured goods . Home to a multitude of the largest global corporations . U.S. Dollar served as the dominant world reserve currency under Bretton Woods Conference . Allied with G7 major economies . Supported allied countries' economies via such programmes as the Marshall Plan . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Politics </Td> <Td> Strong Communist state with extensive secret police apparatus . Anti-colonialist movements and labour parties . Permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council . </Td> <Td> Strong capitalist federation / constitutional republic . Permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council plus two allies (France and the UK) with permanent seats . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Foreign relations </Td> <Td> Strong ties with Central and Eastern Europe, countries in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa . Also had an alliance with China up until 1961 . Supported Communist and socialist countries around the world . </Td> <Td> Strong ties with Western Europe, some countries in Latin America, the Commonwealth of Nations, and several East Asian countries . Supported democracies and anti-Communist dictatorships around the world . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Military </Td> <Td> Possessed largest armed forces and air force in the world, and the second of the world's largest navies . Possessed bases around the world . Held the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons for the second half of the Cold War . Founder of Warsaw Pact with satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe . Global intelligence network with the GRU and the First Chief Directorate of the KGB . Ties with paramilitary and guerrilla groups in the developing world . Large arms industry production with global distribution . </Td> <Td> Highest military expenditure in the world, with the world's largest navy surpassing the next 13 largest navies combined, and an army and air force rivaled only by that of the Soviet Union . Possessed bases around the world, particularly in an incomplete "ring" bordering the Warsaw Pact to the West, South and East . Largest nuclear arsenal in the world during the first half of the Cold War . Powerful military allies in Western Europe (NATO) with their own nuclear capabilities . Global intelligence networks with the United States Intelligence Community (IC). Ties with paramilitary and guerrilla groups in the developing world . Large armament production through defense contractors along with its developed allies for the global market . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Media </Td> <Td> Press explicitly controlled and censored . Promoted, through the use of propaganda, its Communist and Socialist ideal that workers of all countries should unite to overthrow capitalist society and what they called the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie and replace it with a socialist society where all means of production are publicly owned . </Td> <Td> Maintained constitutional guarantees for freedom of speech and freedom of the press, though the ongoing Cold War did lead to a degree of censorship, particularly during the Vietnam War and the Second Red Scare when censorship was the heaviest . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Culture </Td> <Td> Rich tradition in literature, classical music, and ballet . </Td> <Td> Rich tradition and worldwide cultural influence in music, literature, film, television, cuisine, art, and fashion . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> </Th> <Th> Soviet Union </Th> <Th> United States </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Demography </Td> <Td> Had a population of 286.7 million in 1989, the third largest on Earth behind China and India . </Td> <Td> Had a population of 248.7 million in 1990, at that time the fourth largest on Earth behind China, India and the Soviet Union . </Td> </Tr>

Who are the 5 superpowers in the world