China vs Japan: GDP
GDP over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 19.50 trillion current US$ against 4.44 trillion current US$ in Japan, a difference of 15.06 trillion current US$.
That makes China's figure about 4.4 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 4th of 211 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 63.92 billion current US$ | 103.70 billion current US$ | 39.78 billion current US$ | Japan |
| 1970s | 141.12 billion current US$ | 582.14 billion current US$ | 441.02 billion current US$ | Japan |
| 1980s | 263.09 billion current US$ | 1.89 trillion current US$ | 1.63 trillion current US$ | Japan |
| 1990s | 690.35 billion current US$ | 4.49 trillion current US$ | 3.80 trillion current US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 2.63 trillion current US$ | 4.79 trillion current US$ | 2.16 trillion current US$ | Japan |
| 2010s | 10.69 trillion current US$ | 5.38 trillion current US$ | 5.32 trillion current US$ | China |
| 2020s | 18.00 trillion current US$ | 4.65 trillion current US$ | 13.36 trillion current US$ | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher gdp, China or Japan?
- China, at 19.50 trillion current US$ against 4.44 trillion current US$ in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in gdp between China and Japan?
- 15.06 trillion current US$, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for gdp?
- China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 4th of 211 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as GDP (current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.