Current account balance in China
China: Current account balance was 3.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in China, 1982–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
China recorded 3.8% for current account balance in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 52.7% on the previous year and up 45.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in China peaked at 9.8% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -3.7%, in 1985.
That places China 48th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Current account balance in China, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 2.8% | — |
| 1983 | 1.8% | -33.6% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -57.5% |
| 1985 | -3.7% | -572.4% |
| 1986 | -2.3% | -36.6% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | -104.7% |
| 1988 | -1.2% | -1207.6% |
| 1989 | -1.2% | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | -367.8% |
| 1991 | 3.5% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | -56.7% |
| 1993 | -2.6% | -274.0% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -146.9% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | -82.0% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | +280.4% |
| 1997 | 3.8% | +358.0% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | -20.6% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -37.0% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -12.3% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -23.4% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | +85.1% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | +35.9% |
| 2005 | 5.7% | +64.4% |
| 2006 | 8.3% | +45.4% |
| 2007 | 9.8% | +18.0% |
| 2008 | 9.0% | -8.0% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | -48.0% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | -18.1% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | -53.8% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | +40.0% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -38.7% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +45.4% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | +17.5% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -35.7% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -9.9% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | -88.7% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | +263.5% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | +140.6% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | +35.0% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | -36.2% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | +75.4% |
| 2025 | 3.8% | +52.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | -0.4% | -3.7% | 2.8% | 8 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | -2.6% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 1.3% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 0.2% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.2% | 1.4% | 3.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More economy & growth data for China
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.46 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.31 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 2.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.3564 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 4,941 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 1.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 2.56 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 35,522 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3727 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in China?
- Current account balance in China was 3.8% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest current account balance recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 2007.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.7% in 1985.
- How does China rank for current account balance?
- China ranks 48th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Current account balance (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.