Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in China
China: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) was 12.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in China, 1961–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for value of imported goods as a share of gdp in China is 12.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.4% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in China peaked at 26.3% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1961.
That places China 189th out of 201 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.2% | — |
| 1978 | 6.0% | +382.0% |
| 1979 | 7.3% | +22.1% |
| 1980 | 9.2% | +25.7% |
| 1981 | 10.0% | +8.3% |
| 1982 | 8.5% | -15.2% |
| 1983 | 8.4% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 9.2% | +8.8% |
| 1985 | 12.5% | +35.9% |
| 1986 | 12.7% | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 14.3% | +12.6% |
| 1988 | 15.9% | +11.2% |
| 1989 | 15.2% | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 14.6% | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 15.9% | +8.6% |
| 1992 | 18.6% | +17.0% |
| 1993 | 22.7% | +22.1% |
| 1994 | 19.9% | -12.3% |
| 1995 | 17.4% | -12.4% |
| 1996 | 15.6% | -10.5% |
| 1997 | 14.4% | -7.7% |
| 1998 | 13.2% | -8.0% |
| 1999 | 14.6% | +10.5% |
| 2000 | 17.8% | +21.5% |
| 2001 | 17.3% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 18.8% | +8.6% |
| 2003 | 23.0% | +22.5% |
| 2004 | 26.3% | +14.2% |
| 2005 | 26.1% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 25.7% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 24.2% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 22.3% | -7.8% |
| 2009 | 17.7% | -20.6% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | +15.8% |
| 2011 | 20.9% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 19.1% | -8.9% |
| 2013 | 18.2% | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 16.8% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 12.9% | -23.2% |
| 2016 | 12.7% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 13.5% | +6.4% |
| 2018 | 14.0% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 13.3% | -5.2% |
| 2020 | 12.9% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 13.8% | +7.4% |
| 2022 | 14.1% | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 13.4% | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 13.2% | -2.0% |
| 2025 | 12.6% | -4.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 12.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38.0%, 33% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 12.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 42.4%, 30% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +382.0% | 1.2% | 6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 1970s | 6.7% | 6.0% | 7.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.6% | 8.4% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.7% | 13.2% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.9% | 17.3% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 12.7% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.3% | 12.6% | 14.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More economy & growth data for China
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -0.8795 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is value of imported goods as a share of gdp in China?
- Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in China was 12.6% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 2004.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1961.
- How does China rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- China ranks 189th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Value of a country’s total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, as a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP).