China vs India: External debt stocks, total
External debt stocks, total over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 2.42 trillion DOD, current US$ against 716.46 billion DOD, current US$ in India, a difference of 1.70 trillion DOD, current US$.
That makes China's figure about 3.4 times India's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 44 shared years of data; in 1981 it was India ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 120 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and India in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.11 billion DOD, current US$ | 42.57 billion DOD, current US$ | 20.46 billion DOD, current US$ | India |
| 1990s | 106.22 billion DOD, current US$ | 92.53 billion DOD, current US$ | 13.69 billion DOD, current US$ | China |
| 2000s | 280.12 billion DOD, current US$ | 151.71 billion DOD, current US$ | 128.41 billion DOD, current US$ | China |
| 2010s | 1.47 trillion DOD, current US$ | 443.03 billion DOD, current US$ | 1.03 trillion DOD, current US$ | China |
| 2020s | 2.49 trillion DOD, current US$ | 631.30 billion DOD, current US$ | 1.86 trillion DOD, current US$ | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher external debt stocks, total, China or India?
- China, at 2.42 trillion DOD, current US$ against 716.46 billion DOD, current US$ in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in external debt stocks, total between China and India?
- 1.70 trillion DOD, current US$, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 44 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for external debt stocks, total?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.