China's share of exports in gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to approximately **** percent in 2024, increasing slightly from the previous year. The total Chinese merchandise export value amounted to around **** trillion yuan that year.

China: Exports of goods and services as percent of GDP: The latest value from 2024 is 20.02 percent, an increase from 19.1 percent in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 44.58 percent, based on data from 134 countries. Historically, the average for China from 1960 to 2024 is 14.7 percent. The minimum value, 2.45 percent, was reached in 1970 while the maximum of 35.53 percent was recorded in 2006.

Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) in China was reported at 20.02 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

China Contribution to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data was reported at 1.515 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of -0.600 % for 2023. China Contribution to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data is updated yearly, averaging 0.100 % from Dec 1953 (Median) to 2024, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.000 % in 1994 and a record low of -6.900 % in 1985. China Contribution to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.AA: Gross Domestic Product: Contribution and Share to Growth.

Trade (% of GDP) in China was reported at 37.2 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Trade (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

China Share to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data was reported at 30.300 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of -11.400 % for 2023. China Share to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data is updated yearly, averaging 1.559 % from Dec 1953 (Median) to 2024, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 79.800 % in 1990 and a record low of -51.300 % in 1985. China Share to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.AA: Gross Domestic Product: Contribution and Share to Growth.

In 2024, the European Union countries imported approximately **** percent of the Chinese export volume. In that year, ASEAN was the largest Chinese merchandise importer. Distribution of Chinese exports In 2024, China exported goods with a total value of around **** trillion yuan and imported goods with a value of **** trillion yuan. That year, China ranked second among the countries with the largest gross domestic product, following the United States.China’s economic prosperity has been closely related to its status as the world’s factory. For about a decade between 2005 and 2015, exports contributed more than ** percent to China’s gross domestic product. However, the share of exports to GDP contribution is currently on the decline. Nonetheless, China maintains a trade surplus of about *** billion U.S. dollars and remains first among countries with the highest trade surplus worldwide as of 2023. While China displays high growth potential for service exports such as tourism, transportation, banking and financial services, as well as insurance and education services, the main focus of China’s export industry remains merchandise. In 2022, Chinese merchandise exports made up **** percent of all global exports, whereas service based exports contributed only *** percent.In terms of most exported merchandise categories, food and live animals used for food were the main primary goods. Among the manufactured goods, automatic data processing machines, integrated circuits, clothing, textiles, and smartphones were the categories with the highest export value in China in 2024.

China's total Exports in 2024 were valued at US$3.58 Trillion, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. China's main export partners were: the United States, Hong Kong and Vietnam. The top three export commodities were: Electrical, electronic equipment; Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers and Vehicles other than railway, tramway. Total Imports were valued at US$2.59 Trillion. In 2024, China had a trade surplus of US$991.41 Billion.

China's share of imports in gross domestic product (GDP) was about **** percent in 2024. The total gross domestic product amounted to approximately *** trillion yuan that year. Import development in China Trade is essential to modern economies. The imports-to-GDP ratio measures a country’s openness to inward trade. One similar indicator is the trade-to-GDP-ratio, which is the sum of exports and imports divided by GDP. It is used to measure a country’s integration in the world economy. As of 2023, China was the second largest merchandise importing nation worldwide, only next to the United States. China’s imports of goods had nearly doubled over the last decade. In 2010, the import value stood at around *** trillion U.S. dollars, whereas in 2024, China brought forth approximately *** trillion U.S. dollars worth of imported commodities, its main import goods being *******************, *********, and iron ore. Meanwhile, the monetary value of services imported to China, although much lower than merchandise imports, also increased steadily. Where does China import from? In 2024, ASEAN was the leading import partner for China, with imports amounting to approximately **** trillion yuan. The European Union was the second largest import source providing nearly *** trillion yuan worth of goods to China. In 2023, the European Union imported around *** billion euros worth of merchandise from China, resulting in a trade deficit of roughly *** billion euros. Trade deficits were most significant in sectors such as *********, ******************* and apparel manufacturing.

China Exports to United States was US$525.65 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. China Exports to United States - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on August of 2025.

With an export share of over ** percent, the United States had been China's largest trade partner for years, until 2018, when the share fell significantly to **** percent, after the U.S. president, Donald Trump, imposed a *** percent tariff on goods from China. In 2024, the United States accounted for approximately **** percent of Chinese exports, reaching their lowest level in the last decade.

In 2024, the industrial sector generated around **** percent of China's GDP. It was by far the largest contributor, followed by the wholesale and retail industry that was responsible for **** percent and the financial sector that produced *** percent of the country's economic output. Since China is the second-largest economy in the world, the industrial sector’s output alone exceeded the entire economy of Germany. China’s export and investment-driven economy China economic development of the early 2000s was mainly driven by investments and exports. A country's gross domestic product (GDP) consists of three parts: Consumption, investments, and net exports. Typically, emerging economies rely mainly on investments and exports for growing their economy and China was no exception. By the end of the 2010s, investments fueled more than 40 percent of China's GDP and exports were responsible for almost another 20 percent. In comparison to that, in most developed economies, investments make up only 20 percent of the economic output. Instead, the main economic driver is consumption. The economic structure in China created a huge industrial sector. For instance, China was the biggest steel exporter, the leading merchandise exporter, and exported more than a third of global household goods. Great push towards transformation In early 2018, the Chinese government proclaimed that the country's economy had reached a new development stage where consumption and services replaced investment and manufacturing as the main driver of economic growth. The fear of the middle-income trap and changing demographics were the main reasons for Beijing's emphasis on economic transformation. Although incomes in China had not stagnated, policymakers attempted to preempt “getting stuck” by steering the economy towards high-quality growth and consumption-focus. Furthermore, a society that was older and had a higher share of middle-class population had different requirements to the economy. In the case of a successful transformation, China's economy would become more similar to those of developed nations. For instance, the financial sector was the largest contributor to the United States economy. In the case of Germany, the service sector generates the largest share of gross domestic product.

United States Exports to China was US$143.55 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United States Exports to China - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on September of 2025.

China: Trade openness: exports plus imports as percent of GDP: The latest value from 2023 is 36.35 percent, a decline from 37.44 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 94.91 percent, based on data from 153 countries. Historically, the average for China from 1960 to 2023 is 27.73 percent. The minimum value, 4.83 percent, was reached in 1970 while the maximum of 63.57 percent was recorded in 2006.

China Contribution to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data was reported at 1.459 % in Mar 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.512 % for Dec 2018. China Contribution to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data is updated quarterly, averaging -0.255 % from Mar 2015 (Median) to Mar 2019, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.958 % in Dec 2017 and a record low of -1.040 % in Dec 2016. China Contribution to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s National Accounts – Table CN.AA: Gross Domestic Product: Contribution and Share to Growth.

In July 2025, Chinese exports amounted to around ****** billion U.S. dollars. This indicated an increase in exports compared to the same period of the previous year. Export trade in China China overtook the United States as the world’s largest trading nation in 2013. In the years that followed, the country remained one of the strongest players in global and regional trade. According to the IMF, China’s total gross domestic product (GDP) had ranged at around ***** trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. Thus, exports of goods had accounted for more than a third of China’s total economic output that year. In 2024, China’s trade surplus amounted to *** billion U.S. dollars. Since the implementation of various reform strategies in 1979, China’s economic development has largely profited from its export-led growth strategy. In 2024, the most important export partner for China was ASEAN. Automatic data processing machines, integrated circuits, and clothes were among China’s main export goods. It is noticeable that China’s comparative advantage nowadays lies not only in labor-intensive manufactured goods. Over the past years, China has steadily moved up the global value chain by increasing the export share of high technology products such as computers and power devices. China has been frequently accused of currency manipulation by other countries. The country is criticized for deliberately keeping its currency yuan undervalued, to give Chinese goods export advantages.

Key information about China Total Trade of Goods and Services: % of Nominal GDP

• China Total Trade of Goods & Services: % of Nominal GDP recorded 38.987 % in Sep 2024, compared with 39.025 % in the previous quarter.
• China Total Trade of Goods & Services: % of Nominal GDP data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1998 to Sep 2024, with an averaged value of 40.632 %.
• The data reached an all-time high of 68.074 % in Sep 2006 and a record low of 30.763 % in Mar 1999.

CEIC calculates quarterly Total Trade of Goods and Services as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Total Trade of Goods and Services and quarterly Nominal GDP. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange provides Total Trade of Goods and Services in USD and the National Bureau of Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Balance of Payments is used due to lack of National Accounts statistics.

In 2024, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China amounted to around 18.7 trillion U.S. dollars. In comparison to the GDP of the other BRIC countries India, Russia and Brazil, China came first that year and second in the world GDP ranking. The stagnation of China's GDP in U.S. dollar terms in 2022 and 2023 was mainly due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar. China's real GDP growth was 3.1 percent in 2022 and 5.4 percent in 2023. In 2024, per capita GDP in China reached around 13,300 U.S. dollars. Economic performance in China Gross domestic product (GDP) is a primary economic indicator. It measures the total value of all goods and services produced in an economy over a certain time period. China's economy used to grow quickly in the past, but the growth rate of China’s real GDP gradually slowed down in recent years, and year-on-year GDP growth is forecasted to range at only around four percent in the years after 2024. Since 2010, China has been the world’s second-largest economy, surpassing Japan.China’s emergence in the world’s economy has a lot to do with its status as the ‘world’s factory’. Since 2013, China is the largest export country in the world. Some argue that it is partly due to the undervalued Chinese currency. The Big Mac Index, a simplified and informal way to measure the purchasing power parity between different currencies, indicates that the Chinese currency yuan was roughly undervalued by 38 percent in 2024. GDP development Although the impressive economic development in China has led millions of people out of poverty, China is still not in the league of industrialized countries on the per capita basis. To name one example, the U.S. per capita economic output was more than six times as large as in China in 2024. Meanwhile, the Chinese society faces increased income disparities. The Gini coefficient of China, a widely used indicator of economic inequality, has been larger than 0.45 over the last decade, whereas 0.40 is the warning level for social unrest.

China Share to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data was reported at 22.800 % in Mar 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 8.000 % for Dec 2018. China Share to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data is updated quarterly, averaging -3.800 % from Mar 2015 (Median) to Mar 2019, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28.800 % in Dec 2017 and a record low of -15.300 % in Dec 2016. China Share to(GDP) Gross Domestic ProductGrowth: Net Export of Goods and Service data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s National Accounts – Table CN.AA: Gross Domestic Product: Contribution and Share to Growth.

According to preliminary data, the agricultural sector contributed around 6.8 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of China in 2024, whereas 36.5 percent of the economic value added originated from the industrial sector and 54.6 percent from the service sector, respectively. The total GDP of China at current prices amounted to approximately 134.91 trillion yuan in 2024. Economic development in China The gross domestic product (GDP) serves as a primary indicator to measure the economic performance of a country or a region. It is generally defined as the monetary value of all finished goods and services produced within a country in a specific period of time. It includes all of private and public spending, government spending, investments, and net exports which are calculated as total exports minus imports. In other words, GDP represents the size of the economy.With its national economy growing at an exceptional annual growth rate of above nine percent for three decades in succession, China had become the worlds’ second largest economy by 2010, surpassing all other economies but the United States. Even though China's GDP growth has cooled down in recent years, its economy still expanded at roughly two times the pace of the United States in 2024. Breakdown of GDP in China When compared to other developed countries, the proportions of agriculture and industry in China's GDP are significantly higher. Even though agriculture is a major industry in the United States, it only accounted for about one percent of the economy in 2023. While the service sector contributed to more than 70 percent of the economy in most developed countries, it's share was considerably lower in China. This was not only due to China's lower development level, but also to the country’s focus on manufacturing and export. However, as the future limitations of this growth model become more and more apparent, China is trying to shift it's economic focus to the high-tech and service sectors. Accordingly, growth rates of the service sector have been considerably higher than in industry and agriculture in the years before the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.