East Asia & Pacific · Upper middle income
China: the economy in numbers
Per person: $13,862, or $29,333 at purchasing power parity. Population: 1.41 billion (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #2 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +4.5%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $652 billion in 1960, $19.5 trillion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $977 per person in 1960, $13,862 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 5.6% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1961: 5 of 65.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose by 63.8% from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 24.3% in 1994.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 1995: 98.6% of GDP in 2025. IMF forecast for 2031: 122.1%.
Stock market capitalization, % of GDP
In 2025 listed domestic companies were worth $15.5 trillion, or 79.5% of GDP.
Population
1960: 667 million · 2025: 1.41 billion.
Unemployment rate
1991: 2.4% · 2025: 4.6%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 33.4 years · 2024: 78.0 years.
Exports of goods and services
1960: 3.1% · 2025: 21.1%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Stock market, % GDP | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 3.3%f | 2.0%f | 122.1%f | ||||||||
| 2030 | 3.3%f | 2.0%f | 119.5%f | ||||||||
| 2029 | 3.7%f | 1.9%f | 116.4%f | ||||||||
| 2028 | 4.0%f | 1.6%f | 113.2%f | ||||||||
| 2027 | 4.0%f | 1.4%f | 109.1%f | ||||||||
| 2026 | 4.5%f | 1.0%f | 104.4%f | ||||||||
| 2025 | $19.5T | $13,862 | $29,333 | 5.0% | 0.1% | 98.6% | 1.41B | 4.6% | 79.5% | 21.1% | |
| 2024 | $18.7T | $13,293 | $27,140 | 5.0% | 0.2% | 90.5% | 1.41B | 4.6% | 62.8% | 78.0 | 20.4% |
| 2023 | $18.3T | $12,951 | $25,200 | 5.4% | 0.2% | 84.1% | 1.41B | 4.7% | 59.9% | 78.0 | 19.4% |
| 2022 | $18.3T | $12,971 | $23,028 | 3.1% | 2.0% | 77.3% | 1.41B | 5.0% | 62.6% | 78.2 | 20.2% |
| 2021 | $18.2T | $12,887 | $20,843 | 8.6% | 1.0% | 72.1% | 1.41B | 4.5% | 79.3% | 78.1 | 19.4% |
| 2020 | $15T | $10,627 | $18,267 | 2.3% | 2.4% | 70.6% | 1.41B | 5.0% | 81.9% | 78.0 | 18.3% |
| 2019 | $14.6T | $10,343 | $17,601 | 6.1% | 2.9% | 59.9% | 1.41B | 4.6% | 58.9% | 77.9 | 18.1% |
| 2018 | $14.1T | $10,086 | $16,298 | 6.8% | 2.1% | 55.7% | 1.4B | 4.3% | 44.7% | 77.7 | 18.8% |
| 2017 | $12.5T | $8,980 | $15,022 | 6.9% | 1.6% | 53.7% | 1.4B | 4.5% | 69.5% | 77.2 | 19.3% |
| 2016 | $11.5T | $8,255 | $14,157 | 6.8% | 2.0% | 50.0% | 1.39B | 4.6% | 63.9% | 77.2 | 19.2% |
| 2015 | $11.3T | $8,175 | $13,463 | 7.0% | 1.4% | 40.9% | 1.38B | 4.7% | 72.6% | 77.0 | 20.9% |
| 2014 | $10.7T | $7,781 | $12,942 | 7.5% | 1.9% | 39.4% | 1.37B | 4.6% | 56.3% | 76.7 | 23.1% |
| 2013 | $9.74T | $7,147 | $12,228 | 7.8% | 2.6% | 36.6% | 1.36B | 4.6% | 40.5% | 76.5 | 24.2% |
| 2012 | $8.67T | $6,405 | $11,420 | 7.9% | 2.6% | 33.9% | 1.35B | 4.6% | 42.6% | 76.2 | 25.1% |
| 2011 | $7.67T | $5,704 | $10,457 | 9.5% | 5.6% | 33.0% | 1.35B | 4.5% | 44.5% | 75.9 | 26.2% |
| 2010 | $6.19T | $4,629 | $9,411 | 10.6% | 3.2% | 33.1% | 1.34B | 4.5% | 65.0% | 75.7 | 26.7% |
| 2009 | $5.19T | $3,898 | $8,448 | 9.4% | −0.7% | 33.9% | 1.33B | 4.7% | 68.9% | 75.3 | 24.3% |
| 2008 | $4.67T | $3,523 | $7,713 | 9.7% | 5.9% | 26.6% | 1.32B | 4.6% | 38.1% | 74.8 | 32.1% |
| 2007 | $3.6T | $2,735 | $6,935 | 14.2% | 4.8% | 28.8% | 1.32B | 4.3% | 124.3% | 74.8 | 34.9% |
| 2006 | $2.79T | $2,129 | $5,946 | 12.7% | 1.6% | 25.2% | 1.31B | 4.4% | 41.0% | 74.4 | 35.5% |
| 2005 | $2.32T | $1,778 | $5,148 | 11.5% | 1.8% | 26.0% | 1.3B | 4.5% | 17.3% | 74.1 | 33.4% |
| 2004 | $1.98T | $1,531 | $4,505 | 10.1% | 3.8% | 25.9% | 1.3B | 4.5% | 22.6% | 73.7 | 30.6% |
| 2003 | $1.68T | $1,307 | $4,007 | 10.1% | 1.1% | 26.4% | 1.29B | 4.6% | 30.5% | 73.4 | 26.6% |
| 2002 | $1.49T | $1,164 | $3,591 | 9.2% | −0.7% | 25.5% | 1.28B | 4.2% | 73.0 | 22.4% | |
| 2001 | $1.36T | $1,065 | $3,259 | 8.3% | 0.7% | 24.2% | 1.27B | 3.8% | 72.7 | 20.1% | |
| 2000 | $1.22T | $969 | $2,963 | 8.6% | 0.3% | 22.6% | 1.26B | 3.3% | 72.3 | 20.7% | |
| 1999 | $1.1T | $881 | $2,690 | 7.7% | −1.4% | 21.6% | 1.25B | 3.2% | 72.0 | 18.0% | |
| 1998 | $1.04T | $835 | $2,483 | 7.9% | −0.8% | 20.4% | 1.24B | 3.2% | 71.6 | 18.2% | |
| 1997 | $968B | $787 | $2,297 | 9.3% | 2.8% | 20.4% | 1.23B | 3.2% | 71.2 | 19.4% | |
| 1996 | $869B | $713 | $2,088 | 10.0% | 8.3% | 21.2% | 1.22B | 3.1% | 70.8 | 17.8% | |
| 1995 | $738B | $613 | $1,884 | 11.0% | 16.8% | 21.4% | 1.2B | 3.0% | 70.4 | 17.9% | |
| 1994 | $567B | $476 | $1,680 | 13.1% | 24.3% | 1.19B | 2.9% | 69.8 | 18.5% | ||
| 1993 | $447B | $379 | $1,471 | 13.9% | 14.6% | 1.18B | 2.7% | 69.5 | 16.6% | ||
| 1992 | $429B | $368 | $1,276 | 14.3% | 6.4% | 1.16B | 2.4% | 69.1 | 15.6% | ||
| 1991 | $385B | $334 | $1,105 | 9.4% | 3.6% | 1.15B | 2.4% | 68.6 | 14.4% | ||
| 1990 | $362B | $319 | $991 | 3.9% | 3.1% | 1.14B | 68.2 | 13.6% | |||
| 1989 | $348B | $311 | 4.2% | 18.2% | 1.12B | 67.9 | 11.8% | ||||
| 1988 | $313B | $284 | 11.2% | 18.8% | 1.1B | 67.6 | 14.4% | ||||
| 1987 | $273B | $252 | 11.7% | 7.2% | 1.08B | 67.3 | 12.5% | ||||
| 1986 | $301B | $282 | 8.9% | 6.5% | 1.07B | 66.9 | 8.7% | ||||
| 1985 | $310B | $295 | 13.4% | 9.3% | 1.05B | 66.5 | 8.3% | ||||
| 1984 | $260B | $251 | 15.2% | 2.7% | 1.04B | 66.1 | 9.5% | ||||
| 1983 | $231B | $226 | 10.8% | 2.0% | 1.02B | 65.7 | 9.5% | ||||
| 1982 | $205B | $204 | 9.0% | 2.0% | 1.01B | 65.2 | 11.0% | ||||
| 1981 | $196B | $197 | 5.1% | 2.5% | 994M | 64.8 | 12.4% | ||||
| 1980 | $191B | $195 | 7.8% | 981M | 64.2 | 10.1% | |||||
| 1979 | $179B | $184 | 7.6% | 969M | 63.7 | 7.8% | |||||
| 1978 | $150B | $157 | 11.3% | 956M | 63.1 | 7.2% | |||||
| 1977 | $175B | $186 | 7.6% | 943M | 62.5 | 4.7% | |||||
| 1976 | $154B | $166 | −1.6% | 931M | 61.2 | 4.8% | |||||
| 1975 | $164B | $179 | 8.7% | 916M | 61.0 | 4.9% | |||||
| 1974 | $144B | $160 | 2.3% | 900M | 60.2 | 5.0% | |||||
| 1973 | $139B | $157 | 7.8% | 882M | 59.5 | 4.3% | |||||
| 1972 | $114B | $132 | 3.8% | 862M | 58.6 | 3.1% | |||||
| 1971 | $100B | $119 | 7.1% | 841M | 57.7 | 2.7% | |||||
| 1970 | $92.8B | $113 | 19.3% | 818M | 56.8 | 2.5% | |||||
| 1969 | $79.8B | $100 | 16.9% | 796M | 56.0 | 2.8% | |||||
| 1968 | $71B | $92 | −4.1% | 775M | 55.2 | 3.0% | |||||
| 1967 | $73B | $97 | −5.8% | 755M | 54.4 | 3.0% | |||||
| 1966 | $76.9B | $105 | 10.6% | 735M | 53.7 | 3.1% | |||||
| 1965 | $70.6B | $99 | 17.0% | 715M | 53.0 | 3.2% | |||||
| 1964 | $59.8B | $86 | 18.2% | 698M | 52.3 | 3.2% | |||||
| 1963 | $50.8B | $74 | 10.3% | 682M | 51.7 | 3.3% | |||||
| 1962 | $47.3B | $71 | −5.6% | 666M | 51.0 | 3.2% | |||||
| 1961 | $50.2B | $76 | −27.3% | 660M | 40.2 | 3.0% | |||||
| 1960 | $59.8B | $90 | 667M | 33.4 | 3.1% |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Inflation: IMF data for 1981–1986, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in East Asia & Pacific
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
American Samoa · Australia · Brunei · Cambodia · China · Fiji · French Polynesia · Guam · Hong Kong · Indonesia · Japan · Kiribati · Laos · Macao · Malaysia · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nauru · New Caledonia · New Zealand · North Korea · Northern Mariana Islands · Palau · Papua New Guinea · Philippines · Samoa · Singapore · Solomon Islands · South Korea · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu · Vietnam
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)