External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP in China
China: External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP was 0.1292 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2024. ▲ Rising
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP in China, 1981–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP.
Analysis
China recorded 0.1292 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP for external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp in 2024.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp in China peaked at 0.1928 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.0295 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP, in 1981.
That places China 116th out of 122 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP in China, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.0295 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | — |
| 1982 | 0.0407 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +37.7% |
| 1983 | 0.0416 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 0.0464 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +11.6% |
| 1985 | 0.0539 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +16.0% |
| 1986 | 0.0787 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +46.2% |
| 1987 | 0.1292 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +64.2% |
| 1988 | 0.1356 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +5.0% |
| 1989 | 0.129 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -4.9% |
| 1990 | 0.153 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +18.6% |
| 1991 | 0.1567 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 0.1693 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +8.0% |
| 1993 | 0.1928 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +13.9% |
| 1994 | 0.1776 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.9% |
| 1995 | 0.1603 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -9.7% |
| 1996 | 0.1486 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.3% |
| 1997 | 0.1518 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 0.1391 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -8.4% |
| 1999 | 0.1348 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 0.1192 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 0.136 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +14.1% |
| 2002 | 0.1245 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -8.5% |
| 2003 | 0.123 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 0.1247 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 0.1233 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 0.1169 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 0.1048 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -10.4% |
| 2008 | 0.0828 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -21.0% |
| 2009 | 0.0876 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 0.1199 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +37.0% |
| 2011 | 0.1374 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +14.6% |
| 2012 | 0.1324 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 0.152 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +14.8% |
| 2014 | 0.1666 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +9.6% |
| 2015 | 0.1182 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -29.0% |
| 2016 | 0.1234 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 0.1365 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +10.6% |
| 2018 | 0.1386 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 0.1452 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 0.1551 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 0.1497 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 0.1382 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.7% |
| 2023 | 0.134 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 0.1292 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.1292 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4626 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP, 28% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- China's 0.1292 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.3491 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP, 37% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0761 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0295 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1356 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.1584 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1348 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1928 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1143 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0828 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.136 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.137 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1182 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1666 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1412 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1292 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1551 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 113 Myanmar 0.1509 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 114 Somalia 0.1504 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 115 Guyana 0.1493 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 117 Botswana 0.1202 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 118 Turkmenistan 0.075 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 119 Iraq 0.0626 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
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)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0029 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 39.69 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 0.8948 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0021 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 28.98 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 1.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0016 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp in China?
- External debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp in China was 0.1292 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1928 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1993.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0295 DOD, current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1981.
- How does China rank for external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp?
- China ranks 116th out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is external debt stocks, total (dod, current us$), per unit of gdp rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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How this figure is calculated
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) ÷ GDP (current US$)
Computed from
- External debt stocks, total International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
- GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.