The national debt of China was approximately 16.65 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the national debt has risen by around 16.46 trillion U.S. dollars since 1995. Between 2024 and 2030, the national debt will rise by around 13 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 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.

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 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.

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

Key information about China External Debt

• China External Debt reached 2,516.9 USD bn in Sep 2024, compared with 2,545.3 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• China External Debt: USD mn data is updated quarterly, available from Jun 2003 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 2,746.6 USD bn in Dec 2021 and a record low of 182.6 USD bn in Jun 2003.

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 147.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 8.3 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 34.5 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 24.0 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

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.

Households Debt in China increased to 60.10 percent of GDP in the first quarter of 2025 from 60 percent of GDP in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - China Households Debt To Gdp- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2024, total debt of nonfinancial sectors in China have grown to around ***** percent of the domestic gross domestic product (GDP). Over the last two decades, China's total debt increased by one of the fastest paces among major economies in the world.

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.

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

China Foreign Debt: U.S. Dollar data was reported at 966.080 USD bn in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,000.160 USD bn for Sep 2024. China Foreign Debt: U.S. Dollar data is updated quarterly, averaging 856.892 USD bn from Dec 2009 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 61 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,290.516 USD bn in Mar 2022 and a record low of 180.883 USD bn in Dec 2009. China Foreign Debt: U.S. Dollar data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by State Administration of Foreign Exchange. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table CN.FA: Foreign Debt: Quarterly.

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.

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.

Key information about China External Debt: % of GDP

• China External Debt accounted for 13.4 % of the country's Nominal GDP in 2023, compared with the ratio of 13.7 % in the previous year.
• China External Debt: % of Nominal GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1985 to Dec 2023.
• The data reached an all-time high of 17.0 % 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 146.9 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 8.1 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 33.9 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 36.9 USD bn in Jun 2024.
• The country's External Debt reached 2,545,309.4 in Jun 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

This dataset contains information about 371 debt contracts between Chinese state-owned creditors and borrowers in 60 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries.

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.

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.

The purpose of this project was to measure and estimate the distribution of income in both rural and urban areas of the People's Republic of China. The principal investigators based their definition of income on cash payments and on a broad range of additional components: payments in kind valued at market prices, agricultural output produced for self-consumption valued at market prices, the value of ration coupons and other direct subsidies, and the imputed value of housing. The rural component of this collection consists of two data files, one in which the individual is the unit of analysis and a second in which the household is the unit of analysis. Individual rural respondents reported on their employment status, level of education, Communist Party membership, type of employer (e.g., public, private, or foreign), type of economic sector in which employed, occupation, whether they held a second job, retirement status, monthly pension, monthly wage, and other sources of income. Demographic variables include relationship to householder, gender, age, and student status. Rural households reported extensively on the character of the household and residence. Information was elicited on type of terrain surrounding the house, geographic position, type of house, and availability of electricity. Also reported were sources of household income (e.g., farming, industry, government, rents, and interest), taxes paid, value of farm, total amount and type of cultivated land, financial assets and debts, quantity and value of various crops (e.g., grains, cotton, flax, sugar, tobacco, fruits and vegetables, tea, seeds, nuts, lumber, livestock and poultry, eggs, fish and shrimp, wool, honey, and silkworm cocoons), amount of grain purchased or provided by a collective, use of chemical fertilizers, gasoline, and oil, quantity and value of agricultural machinery, and all household expenditures (e.g., food, fuel, medicine, education, transportation, and electricity). The urban component of this collection also consists of two data files, one in which the individual is the unit of analysis and a second in which the household is the unit of analysis. Individual urban respondents reported on their economic status within the household, Communist Party membership, sex, age, nature of employment, and relationship to the household head. Information was collected on all types and sources of income from each member of the household whether working, nonworking, or retired, all revenue received by owners of private or individual enterprises, and all in-kind payments (e.g., food and durable and non-durable goods). Urban households reported total income (including salaries, interest on savings and bonds, dividends, rent, leases, alimony, gifts, and boarding fees), all types and values of food rations received, and total debt. Information was also gathered on household accommodations and living conditions, including number of rooms, total living area in square meters, availability and cost of running water, sanitary facilities, heating and air-conditioning equipment, kitchen availability, location of residence, ownership of home, and availability of electricity and telephone. Households reported on all of their expenditures including amounts spent on food items such as wheat, rice, edible oils, pork, beef and mutton, poultry, fish and seafood, sugar, and vegetables by means of both coupons in state-owned stores and at free market prices. Information was also collected on rents paid by the households, fuel available, type of transportation used, and availability and use of medical and child care. The Chinese Household Income Project collected data in 1988, 1995, 2002, and 2007. ICPSR holds data from the first three collections, and information about these can be found on the series description page. Data collected in 2007 are available through the China Institute for Income Distribution.