The national debt in China was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 10.6 trillion U.S. dollars (+63.47 percent). After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the national debt is estimated to reach 27.2 trillion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the national debt was continuously increasing over the past years.The indicator describes the general government gross debt which consists of all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future.Find more key insights for the national debt in countries like Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.

As of December 2024, Japan held United States treasury securities totaling about 1.06 trillion U.S. dollars. Foreign holders of United States treasury debt According to the Federal Reserve and U.S. Department of the Treasury, foreign countries held a total of 8.5 trillion U.S. dollars in U.S. treasury securities as of December 2024. Of the total held by foreign countries, Japan and Mainland China held the greatest portions, with China holding 759 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. securities. The U.S. public debt In 2023, the United States had a total public national debt of 33.2 trillion U.S. dollars, an amount that has been rising steadily, particularly since 2008. In 2023, the total interest expense on debt held by the public of the United States reached 678 billion U.S. dollars, while 197 billion U.S. dollars in interest expense were intra governmental debt holdings. Total outlays of the U.S. government were 6.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. By 2029, spending is projected to reach 8.3 trillion U.S. dollars.

Key information about China National Government Debt

• China National Government Debt reached 4,230.0 USD bn in Dec 2023, compared with 3,750.7 USD bn in the previous year.
• China National Government Debt data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2005 to Dec 2023.
• The data reached an all-time high of 4,230.0 USD bn in Dec 2023 and a record low of 404.1 USD bn in Dec 2005.

CEIC converts annual Government Debt into USD. Ministry of Finance provides Government Debt in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Government Debt covers Central Government Debt only.


Related information about China National Government Debt

• In the latest reports, China Consolidated Fiscal Balance recorded a deficit equal to 4.8 % of its Nominal GDP in Mar 2024.
• The country's Government debt accounted for 24.0 % of its Nominal GDP in Mar 2024.
• China Nominal GDP reached 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Key information about China Government Debt: % of GDP

• China Government debt accounted for 25.6 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 25.1 % in the previous quarter.
• China government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2014 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 25.6 % in Dec 2024 and a record low of 14.0 % in Mar 2014.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. The Ministry of Finance provides Government Debt in local currency. The National Bureau of Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Government Debt covers Central Government only.


Related information about China Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, China National Government Debt reached 4,230.0 USD bn in Dec 2023.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Graph and download economic data for General government gross debt for China (GGGDTACNA188N) from 1995 to 2023 about China, gross, debt, and government.

The graph shows national debt in China related to gross domestic product until 2023, with forecasts to 2029. In 2023, gross national debt ranged at around 84 percent of the national gross domestic product.

The debt-to-GDP ratio

In economics, the ratio between a country's government debt and its gross domestic product (GDP) is generally defined as the debt-to-GDP ratio. It is a useful indicator for investors to measure a country's ability to fulfill future payments on its debts. A low debt-to-GDP ratio also suggests that an economy produces and sells a sufficient amount of goods and services to pay back those debts. Among the important industrial and emerging countries, Japan displayed one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. In 2023, the estimated national debt of Japan amounted to about 255 percent of its GDP, up from around 180 percent in 2004. One reason behind Japan's high debt load lies in its low annual GDP growth rate.

Development in China

China's national debt related to GDP grew slowly but steadily from around 23 percent in 2000 to 34 percent in 2012, only disrupted by the global financial crisis in 2008. In recent years, China increased credit financing to spur economic growth, resulting in higher levels of debt. China's real estate crisis and a difficult global economic environment require further stimulating measures by the government and will predictably lead to even higher debt growth in the years ahead.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Foreign and International Investors (FDHBFIN) from Q1 1970 to Q4 2024 about foreign, debt, federal, and USA.

Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Key information about China Household Debt

• China Household Debt reached 11,498.4 USD bn in Jan 2025, compared with the reported number of 11,347.6 USD bn in the previous month
• China Household Debt: USD mn data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2007 to Jan 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 11,691.0 USD bn in Sep 2024 and a record low of 517.7 USD bn in Jan 2007

CEIC converts monthly Household Debt into USD. The People's Bank of China provides Household Debt in local currency. The Federal Reserve Board period end market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Loans are used due to the lack of Flow of Funds statistics.


Further information about China Household Debt

• In the latest reports, China Household Debt accounted for 63.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Mar 2023
• Money Supply M2 in China increased 44,045.8 USD bn YoY in Sep 2024
• China Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 3,209.0 USD bn in Jan 2025
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 13.9 Months of Import in Dec 2024
• China Domestic Credit reached 49,338.1 USD bn in Jan 2025, representing an increased of 7.9 % YoY

The outstanding value of China's general government debt securities has shown an upward trend from 2000 to the first quarter of 2024, rising from 116 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to over ten trillion U.S. dollars in early 2024. The largest increase occurred between 2019 and 2020, when it went from 5.6 trillion to 7.4 trillion U.S. dollars.

In 2023, China held 5.33 percent of foreign held U.S. securities. Japan held a further 9.28 percent of foreign held securities. The national debt of the United Stated can be found here.

Graph and download economic data for Amount Outstanding of Total Debt Securities in General Government Sector, All Maturities, Residence of Issuer in China (TDSAMRIAOGGCN) from Q4 2000 to Q4 2022 about China, sector, maturity, debt, residents, securities, and government.

Key information about China Household Debt: % of GDP

• China household debt accounted for 63.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Mar 2023, compared with the ratio of 61.9 % in the previous quarter.
• China household debt to GDP ratio is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2007 to Mar 2023.
• The data reached an all-time high of 63.3 % in Mar 2023 and a record low of 17.9 % in Dec 2008.

CEIC calculates quarterly Household Debt as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Household Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. The People's Bank of China provides Household Debt in local currency. The National Bureau of Statistics provides year-to-date Nominal GDP in local currency. Loans are used due to the lack of Flow of Funds statistics.


Related information about China Household Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, China Household Debt reached 10,834.1 USD bn in Jun 2023.
• Money Supply M2 in China increased 11.6 % YoY in May 2023.
• China Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 3,193.0 USD bn in Jun 2023.
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 14.9 Months of Import in Jun 2023.
• China Domestic Credit reached 43,669.0 USD bn in Jun 2023, representing an increased of 10.8 % YoY.
• The country's Non Performing Loans Ratio stood at 1.6 % in Mar 2023, compared with the ratio of 1.6 % in the previous quarter.

Graph and download economic data for Outstanding Domestic Public Debt Securities to GDP for China (DDDM04CNA156NWDB) from 2000 to 2020 about public, China, debt, securities, domestic, and GDP.

Over the last decade, the debt of nonfinancial corporations in China have grown the fastest of all major economies, increasing from 4.38 trillion U.S. dollars in 2008 to 27.7 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022. As a result, Chinese corporate debt now exceeds U.S. corporate debt, which stood at nearly 20 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022.

Present value of external debt (current US$) in China was reported at 497466680411 USD in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Present value of external debt - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Key information about China Consolidated Fiscal Balance: % of GDP

• China Consolidated Fiscal Balance recorded a deficit equal to 4.8 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with a deficit equal to 4.9 % in the previous quarter
• China Consolidated Fiscal Balance to GDP data is updated quarterly, available from Dec 1995 to Dec 2024, with an average ratio of -2.0 %
• The data reached an all-time high of 1.4 % in Jun 2008 and a record low of -6.1 % in Dec 2020

CEIC calculates quarterly Consolidated Fiscal Balance as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Consolidated Fiscal Balance and quarterly Nominal GDP. The Ministry of Finance provides year-to-date Consolidated Fiscal Balance in local currency. The National Bureau of Statistics provides year-to-date Nominal GDP in local currency. Consolidated Fiscal Balance as % of Nominal GDP prior to Q4 2007 is calculated from non year-to-date Consolidated Fiscal Balance.


Further information about China Consolidated Fiscal Balance: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, China National Government Debt reached 4,230.0 USD bn in Dec 2023
• China Nominal GDP reached 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023

Hong Kong MPF: AA: Debt Securities: North America data was reported at 5.000 % in Mar 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 5.000 % for Dec 2017. Hong Kong MPF: AA: Debt Securities: North America data is updated quarterly, averaging 4.000 % from Dec 2004 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.000 % in Mar 2018 and a record low of 3.000 % in Dec 2007. Hong Kong MPF: AA: Debt Securities: North America data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong – Table HK.Z037: Mandatory Provident Fund Statistics (MPF).

Net flows on external debt, private nonguaranteed (PNG) (NFL, current US$) in China was reported at --44757998000 USD in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Net flows on external debt, private nonguaranteed (PNG) (NFL, current US$) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Amount Outstanding Due within One Year of International Debt Securities for General Government Sector, Residence of Issuer in China (IDS1YMAORIGGCN) from Q4 1987 to Q4 2024 about 1-year, China, sector, debt, residents, securities, and government.