China vs United States: Primary income payments
Primary income payments over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.52 trillion BoP, current US$ against 452.23 billion BoP, current US$ in China, a difference of 1.07 trillion BoP, current US$.
That makes United States's figure about 3.4 times China's.
Across all 44 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 199 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 910.00 million BoP, current US$ | 86.92 billion BoP, current US$ | 86.01 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 1990s | 12.11 billion BoP, current US$ | 182.54 billion BoP, current US$ | 170.43 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2000s | 52.16 billion BoP, current US$ | 477.65 billion BoP, current US$ | 425.49 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2010s | 256.46 billion BoP, current US$ | 677.54 billion BoP, current US$ | 421.08 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
| 2020s | 429.31 billion BoP, current US$ | 1.18 trillion BoP, current US$ | 753.43 billion BoP, current US$ | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary income payments, China or United States?
- United States, at 1.52 trillion BoP, current US$ against 452.23 billion BoP, current US$ in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary income payments between China and United States?
- 1.07 trillion BoP, current US$, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 44 years are reported by both, from 1982 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for primary income payments?
- China ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Primary income payments (BoP, current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Primary income payments refer to employee compensation paid to nonresident workers and investment income (payments on direct investment, portfolio investment, other investments).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.