Founded in 1999, the G20 is a self-constituted elite group of powerful governments meant to set directions for the structuring and maintenance of the world economy. Its founding members are the main Western economies (U.S., Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and the European Union) and the major economies in the rest of the world (Japan, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa).

Chaired by India in 2023 and holding its 18th summit in New Delhi, the G20 resolved to invite the African Union (AU) to join as a full 21st member. Such inclusion had been deemed unfitting in earlier years because the GDP of all 55 African Union members taken together amounts to no more than the GDP of the UK and because South Africa's inclusion as the weakest member already secured a token presence for the continent.