Short-term debt in China
China: Short-term debt was 37.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Short-term debt in China, 1982–2024
Source: World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total reserves.
Analysis
China recorded 37.8% for short-term debt in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, short-term debt in China peaked at 55.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 2000.
China ranks 41st of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Short-term debt in China, year by year
| Year | % of total reserves | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 13.4% | — |
| 1983 | 20.1% | +49.8% |
| 1984 | 26.3% | +31.0% |
| 1985 | 38.0% | +44.5% |
| 1986 | 37.0% | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 36.6% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 37.1% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 30.0% | -19.2% |
| 1990 | 27.0% | -9.8% |
| 1991 | 22.4% | -17.2% |
| 1992 | 55.4% | +147.5% |
| 1993 | 55.9% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 30.3% | -45.9% |
| 1995 | 27.8% | -8.1% |
| 1996 | 22.7% | -18.2% |
| 1997 | 21.5% | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 11.3% | -47.2% |
| 1999 | 9.4% | -17.1% |
| 2000 | 7.6% | -19.0% |
| 2001 | 25.6% | +236.0% |
| 2002 | 22.1% | -13.8% |
| 2003 | 21.2% | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 18.6% | -12.2% |
| 2005 | 17.8% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -10.0% |
| 2007 | 13.2% | -17.9% |
| 2008 | 9.5% | -27.7% |
| 2009 | 9.8% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 17.6% | +79.3% |
| 2011 | 23.7% | +34.8% |
| 2012 | 23.4% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 27.8% | +18.7% |
| 2014 | 31.8% | +14.5% |
| 2015 | 24.1% | -24.0% |
| 2016 | 25.9% | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 31.9% | +23.1% |
| 2018 | 38.5% | +20.8% |
| 2019 | 37.4% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 36.8% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 39.9% | +8.3% |
| 2022 | 38.3% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 37.3% | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 37.8% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 29.8% | 13.4% | 38.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 28.4% | 9.4% | 55.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.1% | 7.6% | 25.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.2% | 17.6% | 38.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.0% | 36.8% | 39.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 38 Republic of Moldova 40.7% compare
- 39 Sierra Leone 40.1% compare
- 40 Yemen 39.9% compare
- 42 Paraguay 37.2% compare
- 43 Bosnia and Herzegovina 32.6% compare
- 44 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 32.1% 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)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 5.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.577 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 7,998 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 4.15 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 57,507 current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5515 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is short-term debt in China?
- Short-term debt in China was 37.8% in 2024, according to World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest short-term debt recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 55.9% in 1993.
- What is the lowest short-term debt recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 2000.
- How does China rank for short-term debt?
- China ranks 41st out of 111 countries with data for 2024.
- Is short-term debt rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB), published as part of Short-term debt (% of total reserves). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Total reserves includes gold.