Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in China
China: Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 46.4% in 2011. ▲ Rising
Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in China, 1952–2011
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % GDP.
Analysis
China recorded 46.4% for industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2011.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in China peaked at 47.4% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 21.6%, in 1952.
China ranks 4th of 43 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 60 years of available data.
Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in China, year by year
| Year | % GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 21.6% | — |
| 1953 | 24.1% | +11.6% |
| 1954 | 24.8% | +2.9% |
| 1955 | 24.9% | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 29.0% | +16.5% |
| 1957 | 30.4% | +4.8% |
| 1958 | 37.7% | +24.0% |
| 1959 | 43.0% | +14.1% |
| 1960 | 44.9% | +4.4% |
| 1961 | 31.2% | -30.5% |
| 1962 | 31.2% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 33.2% | +6.4% |
| 1964 | 35.3% | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 34.7% | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 37.2% | +7.2% |
| 1967 | 33.6% | -9.7% |
| 1968 | 30.8% | -8.3% |
| 1969 | 35.1% | +14.0% |
| 1970 | 39.8% | +13.4% |
| 1971 | 41.4% | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 42.1% | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 42.1% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 41.9% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 44.9% | +7.2% |
| 1976 | 44.9% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 46.3% | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 46.7% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 45.9% | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 47.1% | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 45.1% | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 43.9% | -2.7% |
| 1983 | 43.6% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 42.3% | -3.0% |
| 1985 | 42.1% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 43.1% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 42.9% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 43.1% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 42.2% | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 40.8% | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 41.2% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 43.2% | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 46.4% | +7.4% |
| 1994 | 46.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 46.8% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 47.3% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 47.0% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 45.6% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 44.9% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 45.2% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 44.3% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 43.8% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 45.0% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 44.6% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 45.7% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 47.4% | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 46.9% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 46.8% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 46.1% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 46.5% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 46.4% | -0.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 46.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 37.2%, 1.2× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- China's 46.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39.1%, 1.2× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -30.5% | 44.9% | 31.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 29.4% | 21.6% | 43.0% | 8 |
| 1960s | 34.7% | 30.8% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 43.6% | 39.8% | 46.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.5% | 42.1% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.0% | 40.8% | 47.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.6% | 43.8% | 47.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.5% | 46.4% | 46.5% | 2 |
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 157.21 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0081 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 111.77 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 79.98 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 87.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0041 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 56.86 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 8.47 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in China?
- Industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in China was 46.4% in 2011, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 47.4% in 2006.
- What is the lowest industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.6% in 1952.
- How does China rank for industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- China ranks 4th out of 43 countries with data for 2011.
- Is industry as a share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The vertical axis shows historical estimates of the share of industry in GDP. The horizontal axis shows GDP per capita, adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.