your global trade link stops in 2014, but the world bank shows the trade decline trend continuing to the present [1]

you raise concerns about the interpretation of GDP and use trade as a more believable replacement - but how about using manufacturing as a more direct replacement? it seems to have continued it's rising trend through the present. [2] rising by 50% in the last 10 years.

this seems to show that growth has not been flat, but has been rising in line with long-term trends.

[1] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.EXP.GNFS.ZS

[2] https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/WLD/world/manufacturin...