The national debt of China amounted to 16.65 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the national debt has risen by 16.46 trillion U.S. dollars since 1995. Between 2024 and 2030, the national debt will rise by 12.97 trillion U.S. dollars, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.

China recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 88.30 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - China Government Debt To GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about China Government Debt: % of GDP

• China Government debt accounted for 27.6 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Jun 2025, compared with the ratio of 26.5 % in the previous quarter.
• China government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2014 to Jun 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 27.6 % in Jun 2025 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 4,736.4 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 4,953.4 USD bn in Sep 2025.

Graph and download economic data for General government gross debt for China (GGGDTACNA188N) from 1995 to 2024 about China, debt, gross, and government.

The graph shows national debt in China related to gross domestic product until 2024, with forecasts to 2030. In 2024, gross national debt ranged at around 88 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 2024, the estimated national debt of Japan amounted to about 250 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.

Key information about China External Debt: % of GDP

• China External Debt accounted for 12.9 % of the country's Nominal GDP in 2024, compared with the ratio of 13.4 % in the previous year.
• China External Debt: % of Nominal GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1985 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 16.7 % in Dec 2014 and a record low of 5.1 % in Dec 1985.

CEIC calculates External Debt as % of Nominal GDP from annual External Debt and annual Nominal GDP. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange provides External Debt in USD. The National Bureau of Statistics provides Nominal GDP in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.


Related information about China External Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of China, Current Account recorded a surplus of 195.6 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 8.5 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 39.9 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 8.3 USD bn in Jun 2025.
• The country's External Debt reached 2,436,751.9 in Jun 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,953.4 USD bn in Sep 2025.

Key information about China External Debt

• China External Debt reached 2,436.8 USD bn in Jun 2025, compared with 2,451.4 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• China External Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Jun 2003 to Jun 2025.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange provides quartely External Debt in USD.


Related information about China External Debt

• In the latest reports of China, Current Account recorded a surplus of 195.6 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 8.5 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 39.9 USD bn in Sep 2025.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 8.3 USD bn in Jun 2025.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,953.4 USD bn in Sep 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Outstanding Total International Debt Securities to GDP for China (DDDM07CNA156NWDB) from 1987 to 2020 about issues, China, debt, and GDP.

External Debt in China decreased to 24198 USD Hundred Million in 2024 from 24475 USD Hundred Million in 2023. This dataset provides - China External Debt - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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.

Developing and emerging market economies have increased their debt exposure to China in recent years. Despite its initial promise, many borrowers of Chinese loans face difficulties in meeting these loan obligations. Under what circumstances do Chinese borrowers in debt distress turn to the International Monetary Fund? Our starting point is that Chinese loans are tied into projects that promise to generate sufficient revenue to repay these loans. We expect that governments turn to the IMF for bailout funding when a severe shock erodes the value of the underlying loan collateral, requiring mobilizing revenues and implementing austerity measures. Without alternative financing options, the IMF becomes the most viable option to weather financial distress. We expect governments to accept a `whatever-it-takes' number of loan conditions. Using cross-country time series analysis for up to 162 countries between 2000 and 2018, we show that defaults on Chinese debt trigger IMF programs only when a country experiences a severe adverse shock. Countries tapping the IMF also accept a greater number of loan conditions. From a policy perspective, current financial distress in borrowing countries underscores the urgency to design and deploy targeted governance reform measures beyond program safeguards and loan conditions to mitigate the built-up of macro-financial vulnerabilities, independent of where the money is coming from.

CN: External Debt: INT: PS: Multilateral data was reported at 1.209 USD bn in 2031. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.366 USD bn for 2030. CN: External Debt: INT: PS: Multilateral data is updated yearly, averaging 732.016 USD mn from Dec 1983 (Median) to 2031, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.103 USD bn in 2024 and a record low of 3.338 USD mn in 1983. CN: External Debt: INT: PS: Multilateral 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. Public sector multilateral loans include loans and credits from the World Bank, regional development banks, and other multilateral and intergovernmental agencies. Excluded are loans from funds administered by an international organization on behalf of a single donor government; these are classified as loans from governments. 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.

CN: External Debt: DIS: PPG: Bilateral Concessional data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2022. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 USD mn for 2021. CN: External Debt: DIS: PPG: Bilateral Concessional data is updated yearly, averaging 39.947 USD mn from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2022, with 42 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.093 USD bn in 2011 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 2022. CN: External Debt: DIS: PPG: Bilateral Concessional 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. Bilateral debt includes loans from governments and their agencies (including central banks), loans from autonomous bodies, and direct loans from official export credit agencies. Concessional debt is defined as loans with an original grant element of 35 percent or more. The grant element of a loan is the grant equivalent expressed as a percentage of the amount committed. It is used as a measure of the overall cost of borrowing. The grant equivalent of a loan is its commitment (present) value, less the discounted present value of its contractual debt service; conventionally, future service payments are discounted at 5 percent. Disbursements are drawings by the borrower on loan commitments during the year specified. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

China External Debt: Buyback data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2014. China External Debt: Buyback data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 USD mn from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2014, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.000 USD mn in 2014 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 2014. China External Debt: Buyback 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: Arrears and Reschedulings: Annual. Debt buyback is the repurchase by a debtor of its own debt, discounted or at par. In the event of a buyback of long-term debt, the face value of the debt bought back will be recorded as a decline in the long-term debt stock, and the cash amount received by creditors will be recorded as a principal repayment. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

The yield on China 10Y Bond Yield held steady at 1.83% on December 2, 2025. Over the past month, the yield has edged up by 0.07 points, though it remains 0.16 points lower than a year ago, 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 December of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Debt Held by Foreign and International Investors (FDHBFIN) from Q1 1970 to Q2 2025 about foreign, debt, federal, and USA.

CN: External Debt: DIS: Public Sector (PS): Bilateral data was reported at 0.000 USD mn in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 54.000 USD mn for 2022. CN: External Debt: DIS: Public Sector (PS): Bilateral data is updated yearly, averaging 1.251 USD bn from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2023, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.227 USD bn in 1995 and a record low of 0.000 USD mn in 2023. CN: External Debt: DIS: Public Sector (PS): Bilateral 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. Public sector bilateral debt includes loans from governments and their agencies (including central banks), loans from autonomous bodies, and direct loans from official export credit agencies. Disbursements are drawings by the borrower on loan commitments during the year specified. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Sri Lanka Ownership: Foreign Debt: Bilateral: China data was reported at 135,728.000 LKR mn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 131,604.000 LKR mn for 2016. Sri Lanka Ownership: Foreign Debt: Bilateral: China data is updated yearly, averaging 3,373.000 LKR mn from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 135,728.000 LKR mn in 2017 and a record low of 689.000 LKR mn in 1996. Sri Lanka Ownership: Foreign Debt: Bilateral: China data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sri Lanka – Table LK.F015: Ownership of Outstanding Foreign Debt.

China External Debt: DOD: Stocks: Public Sector data was reported at 448.890 USD bn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 445.862 USD bn for 2022. China External Debt: DOD: Stocks: Public Sector data is updated yearly, averaging 93.798 USD bn from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2023, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 458.029 USD bn in 2021 and a record low of 4.914 USD bn in 1981. China External Debt: DOD: Stocks: Public 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: Debt Outstanding, Debt Ratio and Debt Service: Annual. Public sector debt comprises long-term external obligations of public debtors, including the national government of all levels, political subdivisions (or an agency of either), autonomous public bodies such as Public Corporations, State Owned Enterprises, Development Banks and Other Mixed Enterprises. Data are in current U.S. dollars.