Between 2005 and 2020, the GDP of China grew from 2.3 trillion to 14.9 trillion U.S. dollars. During the same time period the GDP of the United States grew from 13 trillion to 20.8 trillion dollars. It is estimated that, by 2030, China will overtake the U.S. as the world's largest economy, with a GDP of 33.7 trillion dollars, compared to 30.5 trillion dollars; this margin of more than three trillion is predicted to increase to almost 13 trillion over the subsequent five year period.

In 2024, the United States had the largest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of just under 29 trillion U.S. dollars. China had the second largest economy, at around 18.5 trillion U.S. dollars. Recent adjustments in the list have seen Germany's economy overtake Japan's to become the third-largest in the world in 2023, while Brazil's economy moved ahead of Italy's in 2024. Global gross domestic product Global gross domestic product amounts to almost 110 trillion U.S. dollars, with the United States making up more than one-quarter of this figure alone. The 12 largest economies in the world include all Group of Seven (G7) economies, as well as the four largest BRICS economies. The U.S. has consistently had the world's largest economy since the interwar period, and while previous reports estimated it would be overtaken by China in the 2020s, more recent projections estimate the U.S. economy will remain the largest by a considerable margin going into the 2030s.The gross domestic product of a country is calculated by taking spending and trade into account, to show how much the country can produce in a certain amount of time, usually per year. It represents the value of all goods and services produced during that year. Those countries considered to have emerging or developing economies account for almost 60 percent of global gross domestic product, while advanced economies make up over 40 percent.

In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China amounted to around 17.8 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 three percent in 2022 and 5.2 percent in 2023. In 2023, per capita GDP in China reached around 12,600 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 2023. 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 31 percent in 2023. 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 2023. 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.

Key information about China GDP Per Capita

• China Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capita reached 12,621.720 USD in Dec 2023, compared with 12,674.873 USD in Dec 2022.
• China GDP Per Capita data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1957 to Dec 2023, with an average number of 369.297 USD.
• The data reached an all-time high of 12,674.873 USD in Dec 2022 and a record low of 68.243 in Dec 1957.
• CEIC converts annual GDP per Capita into USD. The National Bureau of Statistics provides GDP per Capita in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.

Related information about China GDP Per Capita data

• In the latest reports, China GDP expanded 4.550 % YoY in Mar 2023.
• China Nominal GDP reached 4,166.759 USD bn in Mar 2023.
• Its GDP deflator (implicit price deflator) increased 0.400 % in Mar 2023.
• Gross Savings Rate of China was measured at 44.277 % in Dec 2023.

The graph shows per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in China until 2023, with forecasts until 2029. In 2023, per capita GDP reached around 12,600 U.S. dollars in China. That year, the overall GDP of China had amounted to 17.8 trillion U.S. dollars. Per capita GDP in China Gross domestic product is a commonly-used economic indicator for measuring the state of a country's economy. GDP is the total market value of goods and services produced in a country within a given period of time, usually a year. Per capita GDP is defined as the GDP divided by the total number of people in the country. This indicator is generally used to compare the economic prosperity of countries with varying population sizes.In 2010, China overtook Japan and became the world’s second-largest economy. As of 2023, it was the largest exporter and the second largest importer in the world. However, one reason behind its economic strength lies within its population size. China has to distribute its wealth among 1.4 billion people. By 2023, China's per capita GDP was only about one fourth as large as that of main industrialized countries. When compared to other emerging markets, China ranked second among BRIC countries in terms of GDP per capita. Future development According to projections by the IMF, per capita GDP in China will escalate from around 12,600 U.S. dollars in 2022 to 17,700 U.S. dollars in 2029. Major reasons for this are comparatively high economic growth rates combined with negative population growth. China's economic structure is also undergoing changes. A major trend lies in the shift from an industry-based to a service-based economy.

Key information about China Private Consumption: % of GDP

• China Private Consumption accounted for 39.6 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2023, compared with a ratio of 37.8 % in the previous year.
• China Private Consumption contribution to Nominal GDP ratio is updated yearly, available from Dec 1952 to Dec 2023, with an average share of 49.3 %.
• The data reached an all-time high of 70.8 % in Dec 1962 and a record low of 34.9 % in Dec 2010.

CEIC calculates Private Consumption as % of Nominal GDP from annual Private Consumption Expenditure and annual Nominal GDP. The National Bureau of Statistics provides Private Consumption Expenditure in local currency and Nominal GDP in local currency.


Related information about China Private Consumption: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, China GDP expanded 4.5 % YoY in Mar 2023.
• Its Nominal GDP reached 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.
• China GDP Per Capita reached 12,621.7 USD in Dec 2023.
• Its Gross Savings Rate was measured at 44.3 % in Dec 2023.

According to preliminary figures, the growth of real gross domestic product (GDP) in China amounted to 5.0 percent in 2024. For 2025, the IMF expects a GDP growth rate of around 4.6 percent. Real GDP growth The current gross domestic product is an important indicator of the economic strength of a country. It refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. When analyzing year-on-year changes, the current GDP is adjusted for inflation, thus making it constant. Real GDP growth is regarded as a key indicator for economic growth as it incorporates constant GDP figures. As of 2023, China was among the leading countries with the largest gross domestic product worldwide, second only to the United States which had a GDP volume of almost 27.5 trillion U.S. dollars. The Chinese GDP has shown remarkable growth over the past years. Upon closer examination of the distribution of GDP across economic sectors, a gradual shift from an economy heavily based on industrial production towards an economy focused on services becomes visible, with the service industry outpacing the manufacturing sector in terms of GDP contribution. Key indicator balance of trade Another important indicator for economic assessment is the balance of trade, which measures the relationship between imports and exports of a nation. As an economy heavily reliant on manufacturing and industrial production, China has reached a trade surplus over the last decade, with a total trade balance of around 823 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

The graph shows China's share in global gross domestic product adjusted for purchasing-power-parity until 2023, with a forecast until 2029. In 2023, China's share was about 18.75 percent. China's global GDP share Due to the introduction of capitalist market principles in 1978, China's economic market began to show immense change and growth. China's real GDP growth ranged at 5.2 percent in 2023. China's per capita GDP is also expected to continue to grow, reaching 12,600 U.S. dollars in 2023. Comparatively, Luxembourg and Ireland have some of the world’s largest GDP per capita with 129,800 U.S. dollars and 104,300 U.S. dollars, respectively, as of 2023. China is the largest exporter and second largest importer of goods in the world and is also among the largest manufacturing economies. The country also ranges among the world's largest agricultural producers and consumers. It relies heavily on intensive agricultural practices and is the world's largest producer of pigs, chickens, and eggs. Livestock production has been heavily emphasized since the mid-1970s. China’s chemical industry has also seen growth with a heavy focus on fertilizers, plastics, and synthetic fibers. China's use of chemical fertilizers amounted to approximately 50.8 million metric tons in 2022. GDP composition in China Industry and construction account for slightly less than 40 percent of China's GDP. Some of the major industries include mining and ore processing, food processing, coal, machinery, textiles and apparel, and consumer products. Almost half of China's output is dedicated to investment purposes. However, as the country tends to support gross output, innovation, technological advancement, and even quality are often lacking.

Key information about China Gross Savings Rate

• China Gross Savings Rate was measured at 44.3% in Dec 2023, compared with 44.3% in the previous year.
• China Gross Savings Rate is updated yearly, with data available from Dec 1952 to Dec 2023, and an average rate of 44.3%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 44.3% in Dec 2010 and a record low of 16.5% in Dec 1962.
• CEIC calculates Gross Domestic Savings Rate from annual Gross Domestic Savings and annual Nominal GDP. Gross Domestic Savings is calculated as Nominal GDP less Final Consumption Expenditure. The National Bureau of Statistics provides Final Consumption Expenditure in local currency and Nominal GDP in local currency.
• In the latest reports, China GDP expanded 4.5% YoY in Mar 2023.
• China Nominal GDP reached 4,166,759.1 USD mn in Mar 2023. Its GDP deflator (implicit price deflator) increased 0.4% in Mar 2023.
• China GDP Per Capita reached 12,621.7 USD in Dec 2023.

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.

The statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States from 1987 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. The gross domestic product of the United States in 2023 amounted to around 27.72 trillion U.S. dollars. The United States and the economy The United States’ economy is by far the largest in the world; a status which can be determined by several key factors, one being gross domestic product: A look at the GDP of the main industrialized and emerging countries shows a significant difference between US GDP and the GDP of China, the runner-up in the ranking, as well as the followers Japan, Germany and France. Interestingly, it is assumed that China will have surpassed the States in terms of GDP by 2030, but for now, the United States is among the leading countries in almost all other relevant rankings and statistics, trade and employment for example. See the U.S. GDP growth rate here. Just like in other countries, the American economy suffered a severe setback when the economic crisis occurred in 2008. The American economy entered a recession caused by the collapsing real estate market and increasing unemployment. Despite this, the standard of living is considered quite high; life expectancy in the United States has been continually increasing slightly over the past decade, the unemployment rate in the United States has been steadily recovering and decreasing since the crisis, and the Big Mac Index, which represents the global prices for a Big Mac, a popular indicator for the purchasing power of an economy, shows that the United States’ purchasing power in particular is only slightly lower than that of the euro area.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the growth of the real gross domestic product (GDP) in China ranged at 5.4 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year. GDP refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. It is an important indicator of the economic strength of a country. Real GDP is adjusted for price changes and is therefore regarded as a key indicator for economic growth. GDP growth in China In 2024, China ranged second among countries with the largest gross domestic product worldwide. Since the introduction of economic reforms in 1978, the country has experienced rapid social and economic development. In 2013, it became the world’s largest trading nation, overtaking the United States. However, per capita GDP in China was still much lower than that of industrialized countries. Until 2011, the annual growth rate of China’s GDP had constantly been above nine percent. However, economic growth has cooled down since and is projected to further slow down gradually in the future. Rising domestic wages and the competitive edge of other Asian and African countries are seen as main reasons for the stuttering in China’s economic engine. One strategy of the Chinese government to overcome this transition is a gradual shift of economic focus from industrial production to services. Challenges to GDP growth Another major challenge lies in the massive environmental pollution that China’s reckless economic growth has caused over the past decades. China’s development has been powered mostly by coal consumption, which resulted in high air pollution. To counteract industrial pollution, further investments in waste management and clean technologies are necessary. In 2017, about 1.15 percent of GDP was spent on pollution control. Surging environmental costs aside, environmental issues could also be a key to industrial transition as China placed major investments in renewable energy and clean tech projects. The consumption of green energy skyrocketed from 0.52 exajoules in 2005 to 13.3 million in 2022.

The gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of all major economies included except China was negative in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Growth rates were positive again in 2021, but stagnated in some countries in 2023 amid high inflation rates. What does GDP measure? GDP is the sum of all consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports in an economy. As such, different things drive the growth of each of these countries. Germany benefits from a high value of net exports, also known as its trade balance. Drawbacks of GDP growth as a metric GDP measures growth, but it does not capture welfare gains correctly in many cases. For example, carbon dioxide emissions often go hand in hand with a growing GDP. These emissions are from industry, such as coal power plants, or consumption, such as driving cars, but GDP does not measure the damage from these activities. Also, national debt is not incorporated into GDP.

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.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the BRICS countries have been considered the five foremost developing economies in the world. Originally, the term BRIC was used by economists when talking about the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, however these countries have held annual summits since 2009, and the group has expanded to include South Africa since 2010. China has the largest GDP of the BRICS country, at 16.86 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021, while the others are all below three trillion. Combined, the BRICS bloc has a GDP over 25.85 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, which is slightly more than the United States. BRICS economic development China has consistently been the largest economy of this bloc, and its rapid growth has seen it become the second largest economy in the world, behind the U.S.. China's growth has also been much faster than the other BRICS countries; for example, when compared with the second largest BRICS economy, its GDP was less than double the size of Brazil's in 2000, but is almost six times larger than India's in 2021. Since 2000, the country with the second largest GDP has fluctuated between Brazil, Russia, and India, due to a variety of factors, although India has held this position since 2015 (when the other two experienced recession), and it's growth rate is on track to surpass China's in the coming decade. South Africa has consistently had the smallest economy of the BRICS bloc, and it has just the third largest economy in Africa; its inclusion in this group is due to the fact that it is the most advanced and stable major economy in Africa, and it holds strategic importance due to the financial potential of the continent in the coming decades. Future developments It is predicted that China's GDP will overtake that of the U.S. by the end of the 2020s, to become the largest economy in the world, while some also estimate that India will also overtake the U.S. around the middle of the century. Additionally, the BRICS group is more than just an economic or trading bloc, and its New Development Bank was established in 2014 to invest in sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy across the globe. While relations between its members were often strained or of less significance in the 20th century, their current initiatives have given them a much greater international influence. The traditional great powers represented in the Group of Seven (G7) have seen their international power wane in recent decades, while BRICS countries have seen theirs grow, especially on a regional level. Today, the original BRIC countries combine with the Group of Seven (G7), to make up 11 of the world's 12 largest economies, but it is predicted that they will move further up on this list in the coming decades.

In 2023, the total gross domestic product (GDP) of the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area amounted to almost two trillion U.S. dollars. That year, the GDP of the city of Shenzhen alone amounted to around 489 billion U.S. dollars, ranking first among cities in the Greater Bay Area. The Greater Bay Area in China The Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area is an economic zone comprised of the two special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macao and nine cities of Guangdong province in mainland China, namely Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing. The concept of the Greater Bay Area has been formulated by the Chinese government to further integrate Macao and Hong Kong into the Chinese mainland and to boost the economy of the cities in the Pearl River Delta. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Pearl River Delta had been one of the prime regions for economic development, but in recent years it has lost ground to the Yangtze River Delta in East China, the largest of the economic macro-regions in China. A development plan for the Greater Bay Area, which was initiated in 2017 and further elaborated thereafter, aims at developing the region into the world's largest and economically most successful Bay Area. GDP development in the Greater Bay Area In 2022, the GDP of the Greater Bay Area cities was still affected by the coronavirus pandemic and decreased slightly in U.S. dollar terms compared to the previous year. However, the development was uneven, with some of the cities on the mainland experiencing strong economic growth, while GDP growth in Hong Kong and Macau still suffered significantly from the pandemic. In 2023, per capita GDP in the Greater Bay Area ranged at about 22,867 U.S. dollars, which was one of the highest values in China. However, per capita GDP in Hong Kong and Macao is still considerably higher then in the neighboring cities on the mainland.

In 2023, final consumption of the economy in China accounted for about 55.7 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). The share of final consumption in the total GDP of China is expected to increase gradually in the upcoming years. Level of consumption in China Final consumption refers to the part of the GDP that is consumed, in contrast to what is invested or exported. In matured economies, final consumption often accounts for 70 or more percent of the total GDP. In developing countries, however, a significantly larger share may be spent on investments in infrastructure, real estate, and industrial capacities.Since its economic opening up, China was among the countries with the highest ratio of spending on investment and the lowest on consumption. Especially since 2000, China spent increasing amounts of money on infrastructure and housing, while the share spent on consumption dropped to an all-time low. This was not only related to China’s rapid economic ascendence, but also to a large working-age population and a low dependency ratio. Recent developments and outlook As the rate of returns on investment has dropped gradually since the global financial crisis in 2008, China is trying to shift to a more consumption-driven growth model. Accordingly, the share of final consumption has increased since 2010. Although this trend was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, it will most probably continue in the future. Lower demand for new infrastructure and housing, as well as an aging population, are the main drivers of this development.

The size of the five original BRICS economies in 2023 - Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa - is comparable to the United States and the EU-27 put together. On a PPP (purchasing power parity) basis, China ranks as the world's largest economy. India takes up the economic parity of about half the EU-27. The rise of these developing economies gave rise to questions on the role the United States plays in international trade and cross-border finance. FX reserve managers around the world expect to shift their holdings towards the Chinese yuan in the long term, as of 2023.

In 2023, the United States had a real gross domestic product of about 22 trillion U.S. dollars (2017 chained). See the U.S. GDP for further information. Real Gross Domestic Product is an inflation-adjusted measure that reflects the value of all goods and services produced in a given year, expressed in base-year prices.

Real GDP in the U.S.

The real GDP of the U.S. has increased from 9.37 trillion U.S. dollars (2012 chained) in 1990 to 22 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Like many of the worlds major economies, the United States has experienced a steady growth in GDP over the last few years. The Indian economy was expected to experienced growth of 9.4 percent between 2020 and 2021, while China’s GDP was expected to grow 8.1 percent in the same period. One of the defining qualities of the United States’ economy is its diversity and advanced technological advancements. Industries such as finance, real estate, health care, and business and education services are large contributors to the economy, while the manufacturing sector accounts for about 11 percent of the country’s wealth.

The GDP generated by each state can also vary widely based on principal industries and production. In 2021, California had the highest state GDP in the United States, reaching 3.35 trillion U.S. dollars; comparatively, Vermont generated a GDP of 36.17 billion U.S. dollars in that year.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of California was about 3.23 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, meaning that it contributed the most out of any state to the country’s GDP in that year. In contrast, Vermont had the lowest GDP in the United States, with 35.07 billion U.S. dollars. What is GDP? Gross domestic product, or GDP, is the total monetary value of all goods and services produced by an economy within a certain time period. GDP is used by economists to determine the economic health of an area, as well as to determine the size of the economy. GDP can be determined for countries, states and provinces, and metropolitan areas. While GDP is a good measure of the absolute size of a country's economy and economic activity, it does account for many other factors, making it a poor indicator for measuring the cost or standard of living in a country, or for making cross-country comparisons. GDP of the United States The United States has the largest gross domestic product in the world as of 2023, with China, Japan, Germany, and India rounding out the top five. The GDP of the United States has almost quadrupled since 1990, when it was about 5.9 trillion U.S. dollars, to about 25.46 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022.