Statizoid

Total debt service in China

China: Total debt service was 8.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
8.6%
Change on year
down 27.4%
World rank
87th
of 120 countries
All-time high
16.8%
in 1999
All-time low
2.1%
in 2008
Years of data
43
1982–2024

Total debt service in China, 1982–2024

0510151982200320241982: 8.6 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1983: 10.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1984: 8 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1985: 8.4 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1986: 9.7 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1987: 9.6 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1988: 9.6 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1989: 11.4 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1990: 11.7 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1991: 11.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1992: 10.2 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1993: 11.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1994: 8.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1995: 9.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1996: 8.8 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1997: 12.6 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1998: 12.5 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1999: 16.8 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2000: 13.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2001: 11.5 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2002: 12.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2003: 8.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2004: 3.7 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2005: 3.4 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2006: 2.6 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2007: 2.4 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2008: 2.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2009: 2.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2010: 2.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2011: 2.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2012: 3.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2013: 3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2014: 3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2015: 4.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2016: 6.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2017: 7.6 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2018: 8.3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2019: 9.5 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2020: 9.2 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2021: 8.7 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2022: 11.3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2023: 11.8 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2024: 8.6 % of exports of goods, services and primary income

Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.

Analysis

In 2024, total debt service in China stood at 8.6%.

The figure is down 27.4% on the previous year and up 184.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total debt service in China peaked at 16.8% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2008.

China ranks 87th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.

Total debt service in China, year by year

Year % of exports of goods, services and primary income Change
1982 8.6% —
1983 10.9% +26.6%
1984 8.0% -26.9%
1985 8.4% +5.2%
1986 9.7% +15.9%
1987 9.6% -1.1%
1988 9.6% +0.4%
1989 11.4% +18.0%
1990 11.7% +2.8%
1991 11.9% +2.1%
1992 10.2% -14.4%
1993 11.1% +9.1%
1994 8.9% -20.0%
1995 9.9% +10.9%
1996 8.8% -10.9%
1997 12.6% +43.3%
1998 12.5% -0.5%
1999 16.8% +33.9%
2000 13.1% -21.8%
2001 11.5% -12.7%
2002 12.1% +5.9%
2003 8.1% -33.2%
2004 3.7% -54.1%
2005 3.4% -9.2%
2006 2.6% -22.2%
2007 2.4% -9.7%
2008 2.1% -12.8%
2009 2.9% +40.5%
2010 2.9% -0.5%
2011 2.9% +0.7%
2012 3.1% +5.8%
2013 3.0% -1.5%
2014 3.0% -0.7%
2015 4.9% +62.4%
2016 6.9% +41.1%
2017 7.6% +9.7%
2018 8.3% +8.8%
2019 9.5% +15.1%
2020 9.2% -3.2%
2021 8.7% -5.5%
2022 11.3% +30.5%
2023 11.8% +4.4%
2024 8.6% -27.4%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 8.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.4%, 60% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
  • China's 8.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.3%, 93% of the median. (16 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.5% 8.0% 11.4% 8
1990s 11.5% 8.8% 16.8% 10
2000s 6.2% 2.1% 13.1% 10
2010s 5.2% 2.9% 9.5% 10
2020s 9.9% 8.6% 11.8% 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 84 Liberia 9.1% compare
  2. 85 Samoa 9.0% compare
  3. 86 Tajikistan 8.8% compare
  4. 88 Mauritius 8.5% compare
  5. 89 Chad 8.5% compare
  6. 90 Gambia 8.1% compare

See the full ranking of 132 places →

More economy & growth data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is total debt service in China?
Total debt service in China was 8.6% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest total debt service recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 16.8% in 1999.
What is the lowest total debt service recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2008.
How does China rank for total debt service?
China ranks 87th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
Is total debt service rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 184.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Total debt service in China. Statizoid, drawing on International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/total-debt-service-percent-of-exports-of-goods-services-and-primary-income/china/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/total-debt-service-percent-of-exports-of-goods-services-and-primary-income/china/">Total debt service in China</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)
Unit
% of exports of goods, services and primary income
Source
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
132 places, 5,268 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Total debt service to exports of goods, services and primary income. Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.