China vs United States: Imports of goods, services and primary income
Imports of goods, services and primary income over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 5.86 trillion BoP, current US$ against 3.77 trillion BoP, current US$ in China, a difference of 2.09 trillion BoP, current US$.
That makes United States's figure about 1.6 times China's.
Across all 44 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 200 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 36.65 billion BoP, current US$ | 525.22 billion BoP, current US$ | 488.58 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 1990s | 110.97 billion BoP, current US$ | 1.04 trillion BoP, current US$ | 933.32 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2000s | 661.04 billion BoP, current US$ | 2.35 trillion BoP, current US$ | 1.69 trillion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2010s | 2.34 trillion BoP, current US$ | 3.49 trillion BoP, current US$ | 1.15 trillion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2020s | 3.52 trillion BoP, current US$ | 4.94 trillion BoP, current US$ | 1.43 trillion BoP, current US$ | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher imports of goods, services and primary income, China or United States?
- United States, at 5.86 trillion BoP, current US$ against 3.77 trillion BoP, current US$ in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in imports of goods, services and primary income between China and United States?
- 2.09 trillion BoP, current US$, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 44 years are reported by both, from 1982 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for imports of goods, services and primary income?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 200 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Imports of goods, services and primary income (BoP, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. Primary income represents the return that accrues to institutional units for their contribution to the production process or for the provision of financial assets and renting natural resources to other institutional units. 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.