Government spending as share of GDP in China
China: Government spending as share of GDP was 32.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
32.9%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
67th
of 151 countries
All-time high
34.8%
in 2020
All-time low
11.0%
in 1996
Years of data
43
1982–2024
Government spending as share of GDP in China, 1982–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending as share of gdp in China stood at 32.9%.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in China peaked at 34.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1996.
That places China 67th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in China, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 27.9% | — |
| 1983 | 28.3% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 26.9% | -5.1% |
| 1985 | 25.8% | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 25.6% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 23.4% | -8.5% |
| 1988 | 20.9% | -11.0% |
| 1989 | 18.6% | -11.0% |
| 1990 | 18.2% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 16.5% | -9.0% |
| 1992 | 14.6% | -11.4% |
| 1993 | 13.4% | -8.3% |
| 1994 | 12.4% | -7.9% |
| 1995 | 11.1% | -10.4% |
| 1996 | 11.0% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 11.5% | +4.7% |
| 1998 | 12.6% | +9.5% |
| 1999 | 14.9% | +17.9% |
| 2000 | 16.1% | +8.2% |
| 2001 | 17.2% | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 18.2% | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 18.0% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 17.6% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 18.0% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 18.1% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 17.9% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 22.2% | +24.0% |
| 2009 | 25.2% | +13.8% |
| 2010 | 24.7% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | +8.0% |
| 2012 | 27.7% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 28.1% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 28.4% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 31.0% | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 31.7% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 32.0% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 32.6% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 33.6% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 34.8% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 31.9% | -8.4% |
| 2022 | 32.6% | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 32.7% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 32.9% | +0.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 32.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.9%, 1.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- China's 32.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30.8%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.7% | 18.6% | 28.3% | 8 |
| 1990s | 13.6% | 11.0% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.8% | 16.1% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.6% | 24.7% | 33.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.0% | 31.9% | 34.8% | 5 |
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 government spending as share of gdp in China?
- Government spending as share of gdp in China was 32.9% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 34.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1996.
- How does China rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- China ranks 67th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.