Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in China
China: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 13.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
13.4%
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
149th
of 184 countries
All-time high
24.6%
in 2000
All-time low
11.2%
in 1959
Years of data
72
1952–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in China, 1952–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
China recorded 13.4% for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2023.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in China peaked at 24.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 1959.
China ranks 149th of 184 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 72 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in China, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 12.9% | — |
| 1953 | 13.2% | +2.3% |
| 1954 | 11.8% | -11.0% |
| 1955 | 12.7% | +7.9% |
| 1956 | 12.4% | -2.8% |
| 1957 | 12.1% | -1.9% |
| 1958 | 11.2% | -7.6% |
| 1959 | 11.2% | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 14.0% | +25.1% |
| 1961 | 13.7% | -1.6% |
| 1962 | 11.9% | -13.8% |
| 1963 | 13.3% | +12.1% |
| 1964 | 13.7% | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 14.0% | +2.2% |
| 1966 | 14.5% | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 12.8% | -12.0% |
| 1968 | 13.0% | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 14.4% | +11.2% |
| 1970 | 14.2% | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 15.7% | +10.7% |
| 1972 | 16.1% | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 15.3% | -4.9% |
| 1974 | 16.0% | +4.2% |
| 1975 | 15.7% | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 17.1% | +8.7% |
| 1977 | 17.0% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 17.6% | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 19.5% | +10.8% |
| 1980 | 18.6% | -4.5% |
| 1981 | 18.8% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 18.6% | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 19.6% | +5.1% |
| 1984 | 21.3% | +9.1% |
| 1985 | 20.0% | -6.3% |
| 1986 | 19.7% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 19.2% | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 18.1% | -5.4% |
| 1989 | 19.0% | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 19.4% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 20.1% | +4.1% |
| 1992 | 21.3% | +5.7% |
| 1993 | 21.5% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 20.6% | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 19.0% | -8.1% |
| 1996 | 18.1% | -4.7% |
| 1997 | 19.6% | +8.5% |
| 1998 | 21.6% | +10.1% |
| 1999 | 23.8% | +10.1% |
| 2000 | 24.6% | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 24.2% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 23.9% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 23.6% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 23.3% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 24.3% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | -9.4% |
| 2007 | 19.7% | -10.3% |
| 2008 | 17.8% | -10.0% |
| 2009 | 16.5% | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 15.1% | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 14.6% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 15.9% | +9.2% |
| 2013 | 15.8% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 15.1% | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 14.8% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 14.4% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 13.6% | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 13.9% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 14.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 14.4% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | -9.1% |
| 2022 | 12.9% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 13.4% | +3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.2% | 11.2% | 13.2% | 8 |
| 1960s | 13.5% | 11.9% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.4% | 14.2% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.3% | 18.1% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.5% | 18.1% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 16.5% | 24.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.7% | 13.6% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 12.9% | 14.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 146 Rwanda 14.2% compare
- 147 Saint Lucia 14.1% compare
- 148 Madagascar 13.7% compare
- 150 Niger 13.3% compare
- 151 Côte d'Ivoire 13.1% compare
- 152 Viet Nam 12.8% 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)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 7.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.51 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 21,001 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 0.4804 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3965 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per capita 5,271 current US$ per person (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 2.85 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current LCU), per capita 37,938 current LCU per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in China?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in China was 13.4% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 24.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 1959.
- How does China rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- China ranks 149th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.