China: Adjusted net national income per capita (annual % growth)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, China's adjusted net national income per capita (annual % growth) rose 6.71 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.08% to 6.79%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2020), the average change was −0.43 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.71 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.58 percentage points in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.53 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 38% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2021, China had the 33rd highest value of the 137 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to China in the 2021 ranking

• Israel — 30th of 137: 6.91%
• Cabo Verde — 31st of 137: 6.87%
• Slovenia — 32nd of 137: 6.85%
• Italy — 34th of 137: 6.75%
• Serbia — 35th of 137: 6.69%
• Seychelles — 36th of 137: 6.61%

What this measures

Adjusted net national income is GNI minus consumption of fixed capital and natural resources depletion. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate. This indicator denotes the percentage change over each previous year of the constant price (base year 2015) series in United States dollars.

Limitations: Adjusted net national income differs from the adjustments made in the calculation of adjusted net savings, by not accounting for investments in human capital or the damages from pollution. Thus, adjusted net national income remains within the boundaries of the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA). The SNA includes non-produced natural assets (such as land, mineral resources, and forests) within the asset boundary when they are under the effective control of institutional units. The calculation of adjusted net national income, which accounts for net forest, energy, and mineral depletion, as well as consumption of fixed capital, thus remains within the SNA boundaries.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 26 values

Adjusted net national income per capita (annual % growth) in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — -3.24% (2021)
• Cambodia — -2.42% (2021)
• Indonesia — 4.63% (2021)
• Japan — -0.97% (2021)
• Kiribati — -6.07% (2021)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.82% (2021)
• Lao PDR — 11.87% (2016)
• Malaysia — -0.45% (2021)
• Mongolia — -10.62% (2021)

More economic policy & debt data for China

• Exports of goods and services (current US$) — US$4.11 trillion (2025)
• Exports of goods and services (current LCU) — 29.54 trillion (2025)
• Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 21.07% (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (current US$) — US$3.29 trillion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (current LCU) — 23.67 trillion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 16.89% (2025)
• External balance on goods and services (current US$) — US$816.19 billion (2025)
• External balance on goods and services (current LCU) — 5.87 trillion (2025)
• External balance on goods and services (% of GDP) — 4.19% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is China's adjusted net national income per capita (annual % growth)?

6.79% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

It is down 3.54 percentage points from 10.33% in 1996. The highest value was 14.1% in 2007 and the lowest 0.08% in 2020.

How does China rank?

33rd highest of 137 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in adjusted net national income per capita (annual % growth) unusual for China?

In 2021, China's adjusted net national income per capita (annual % growth) rose 6.71 percentage points on 2020 (from 0.08% to 6.79%). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2020), the average change was −0.43 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.ADJ.NNTY.PC.KD.ZG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); The Changing Wealth of Nations: Measuring Sustainable Development in the New Millennium, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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