Premier League clubs spent more in the transfer window than the GDP of these 18 countries

The summer transfer window for England's Premier League closed at 6 p.m BST on Tuesday and it's been another record year for spending.

The 20 football clubs in the league spent £870 million ($1.33 billion) between them in the summer window, according to the BBC, 4% more than last year.

It's more than double the layout of the next biggest spending league in Europe. Teams in Italy's Serie A league spent £405 million ($620 million) in the transfer window, the BBC reports.

The huge total also means the teams in the Premier League have together spent more in the summer transfer window, which runs between July 1 and September 1, than the GDP of 18 countries, according to 2014 figures from the World Bank.

World Bank/Google Sheets/Business Insider

The two biggest single deals done in the summer window - Manchester City buying Kevin de Bruyne for £55 million ($84 million) and Raheem Sterling for £49 million ($74.9 million) - are both bigger on their own than the GDP of the smallest country on the World Bank's ranking, Tuvalu. The tiny Polynesian island, midway between Hawaii and Australia, has a GDP of just $38 million (£25 million).

Transfer spending has steadily increased in the Premier League since 2012 and this year the clubs in the league are flush with extra cash from TV rights.

A bidding war between Sky and BT led to a huge 71% jump in the sale of TV rights this year, reaching £5.2 billion ($8 billion).