Government spending as share of GDP in China
China: Government spending as share of GDP was 32.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
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.
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
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP 4.2% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 0.1% (2025)
- GDP per capita 13,793 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 24.7% (2025)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 19.40 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 13,793 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 7.19 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) 157.71 billion current LCU (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) 21.94 billion current US$ (2025)
- Net primary income (Net income from abroad) -817.92 billion current LCU (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.
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CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The 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.