Ever been unsure about the identity of the G-20 when someone mentioned it while discussing the international economy? That’s no surprise. As Alan Wood notes, there are two.

The group that involves countries making up 85% of global GDP: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea,Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Plus the EU.

The group that negotiates on agriculture at the WTO: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

7 countries are members of both G-20s. One G-20 has 19 member countries (plus the rotating EU presidency). The other has 21 member nations.

The rich G-20 was institutionalized in 1999, while the agricultural G-20 only came into being in 2003. The rich G-20 was created as an extension of the G-7 after informal meetings of the G-22 and G-30.

It’s simple, see?