China vs Japan: Gross domestic product (GDP)

China
6.29 trillion current GBP
in 2014
Japan
2.79 trillion current GBP
in 2014
China rank
2nd
Japan rank
3rd

Gross domestic product (GDP) over time

  • China
  • Japan
02.0T4.0T6.0T184019272014

How they compare

China currently reports 6.29 trillion current GBP against 2.79 trillion current GBP in Japan, a difference of 3.50 trillion current GBP.

That makes China's figure about 2.3 times Japan's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 116 shared years of data; in 1868 it was China ahead.

China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 3rd of 200 countries.

Across the 15 decades both report, China averaged higher in 10 and Japan in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Japan Difference Ahead
1860s 1.46 billion current GBP 129.73 million current GBP 1.33 billion current GBP China
1870s 1.29 billion current GBP 128.27 million current GBP 1.16 billion current GBP China
1880s 1.05 billion current GBP 131.19 million current GBP 923.35 million current GBP China
1890s 964.51 million current GBP 170.95 million current GBP 793.57 million current GBP China
1900s 1.10 billion current GBP 296.13 million current GBP 805.35 million current GBP China
1910s 1.71 billion current GBP 420.21 million current GBP 1.29 billion current GBP China
1930s 1.94 billion current GBP 970.89 million current GBP 970.79 million current GBP China
1940s 3.83 billion current GBP 2.74 billion current GBP 1.09 billion current GBP China
1950s 13.04 billion current GBP 8.66 billion current GBP 4.37 billion current GBP China
1960s 23.45 billion current GBP 35.85 billion current GBP 12.40 billion current GBP Japan
1970s 65.71 billion current GBP 265.35 billion current GBP 199.64 billion current GBP Japan
1980s 163.55 billion current GBP 1.10 trillion current GBP 938.43 billion current GBP Japan
1990s 421.66 billion current GBP 2.62 trillion current GBP 2.20 trillion current GBP Japan
2000s 1.50 trillion current GBP 2.68 trillion current GBP 1.18 trillion current GBP Japan
2010s 5.26 trillion current GBP 3.39 trillion current GBP 1.87 trillion current GBP China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher gross domestic product (gdp), China or Japan?
China, at 6.29 trillion current GBP against 2.79 trillion current GBP in Japan as of 2014.
What is the difference in gross domestic product (gdp) between China and Japan?
3.50 trillion current GBP, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
116 years are reported by both, from 1868 to 2014.
How do China and Japan rank globally for gross domestic product (gdp)?
China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 3rd of 200 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Gross domestic product (GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs Japan: Gross domestic product (GDP). Statizoid, drawing on Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/national-gdp-fouquin-current-gbp/china/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Gross domestic product (GDP)
Unit
current GBP
Source
Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
200 places, 13,609 data points, 1827–2014
Last refreshed

This data is expressed in British pounds. It is not adjusted for inflation or differences in living costs between countries.