After the sudden end to a credit boom coincided with last year’s surge in commodity prices, the outlook for the world’s richest countries has not been worse in generations. Oil may again be cheaper but banks are in trauma. G20 leaders gathering in Washington know that big risks remain. Use the hyperlinks below to explore this FT guide to the causes and effects of the daunting, near-global recession that is taking hold.

Graphic: The great credit bubble inflates