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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

The national debt in Taiwan was forecast to continuously decrease between 2024 and 2029 by in total 39.7 billion U.S. dollars (-19.35 percent). After the sixth consecutive decreasing year, the national debt is estimated to reach 165.46 billion U.S. dollars and therefore a new minimum in 2029. According to the International Monetary Fund, the general government gross debt 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 Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong SAR China.

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

This statistic shows the national debt of important industrial and emerging countries in 2023 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP). In 2023, the national debt of China was at about 83.64 percent of the gross domestic product.

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

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.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Federal Reserve Banks (FDHBFRBN) from Q1 1970 to Q4 2024 about debt, federal, banks, depository institutions, and USA.

China External Debt: INT: GG: Bonds data was reported at 356.575 USD mn in 2031. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.040 USD bn for 2030. China External Debt: INT: GG: Bonds data is updated yearly, averaging 356.575 USD mn from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2031, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.635 USD bn in 2022 and a record low of 4.042 USD mn in 2012. China External Debt: INT: GG: Bonds data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Disbursements and Interest Payment: Annual. General government debt from bonds that are either publicly issued or privately placed. Interest payments are actual amounts of interest paid by the borrower in currency, goods, or services in the year specified. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

The statistic shows Japan's national debt from 2019 to 2022 in relation to gross domestic product (GDP), with projections up until 2029. In 2022, the national debt of Japan amounted to about 256.3 percent of the gross domestic product. An eye on Japan’s national debt Japan’s national debt ranks first among countries with the highest debt levels in the world, far surpassing the debt levels of Greece - which ranks number two - whose financial crisis has been in the spotlight recently. Italy is third, followed by Jamaica, Lebanon and Enritrea. Currently, Japan’s national debt amounts more than a thousand trillion yen and the country’s debt is predicted to keep rising for the foreseeable future, albeit only slightly. Japan’s national debt is not without consequence for the global economy, because the country claims the fourth-largest share in global gross domestic product. Therefore, the effects on the global economy would and could have a much greater global impact than that of a country such as Greece - considering its share of the global economy adjusted for purchase power parity was less than 0.29 percent in 2011. The debt levels of China, the United States and India should also be watched closely as they together make up the largest share of global GDP. At the moment, Japan’s inflation rate is among the lowest in the world, but as Japan attempts to reduce its national debt, this could change.

China External Debt: NTR: GG: Bonds data was reported at -21.994 USD bn in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13.533 USD bn for 2021. China External Debt: NTR: GG: Bonds data is updated yearly, averaging 1.321 USD bn from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2022, with 28 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 45.092 USD bn in 2020 and a record low of -21.994 USD bn in 2022. China External Debt: NTR: GG: Bonds data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Net Flows and Net Transfers: Annual. General government debt from bonds that are either publicly issued or privately placed. Net transfers are net flows minus interest payments during the year; negative transfers show net transfers made by the borrower to the creditor during the year. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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 Total Credit to Private Non-Financial Sector, Adjusted for Breaks, for China (QCNPAM770A) from Q4 1985 to Q3 2024 about adjusted, credits, nonfinancial, China, sector, and private.

China External Debt: DIS: Disbursements: General Government Sector data was reported at 1.954 USD bn in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.298 USD bn for 2022. China External Debt: DIS: Disbursements: General Government Sector data is updated yearly, averaging 4.603 USD bn from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2023, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 48.669 USD bn in 2020 and a record low of 535.322 USD mn in 1981. China External Debt: DIS: Disbursements: General Government Sector data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.World Bank.IDS: External Debt: Disbursements and Interest Payment: Annual. General government long-term debt are aggregated. Public debt is an external obligation of a public debtor, including the national government, a political subdivision (or an agency of either), and autonomous public bodies. Publicly guaranteed debt is an external obligation of a private debtor that is guaranteed for repayment by a public entity. Disbursements are drawings by the borrower on loan commitments during the year specified. Long-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original or extended maturity of more than one year and that is owed to nonresidents by residents of an economy and repayable in currency, goods, or services. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

China 10Y Bond Yield was 1.88 percent on Wednesday March 26, according to over-the-counter interbank yield quotes for this government bond maturity. China 10-Year Government Bond Yield - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.