China: External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, China's external debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) fell 1.1% on 2023 (from US$2.45 trillion to US$2.42 trillion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +12.8% and a typical year strayed about 15.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 63.4% in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 25% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$143.08 billion a year. A straight line explains 81% 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 2024, China had the 2nd highest value of the 118 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 2024 ranking

• India — 2nd of 118: US$716.46 billion
• Brazil — 3rd of 118: US$605.46 billion
• Mexico — 4th of 118: US$591.26 billion

What this measures

Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

All 44 values

External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) in nearby economies

• Cambodia — US$20.98 billion (2024)
• Fiji — US$3.87 billion (2024)
• Indonesia — US$421.06 billion (2024)
• Lao PDR — US$17.84 billion (2024)
• Mongolia — US$38.02 billion (2024)
• Myanmar — US$11.17 billion (2024)
• Papua New Guinea — US$12.85 billion (2024)
• Philippines — US$137.02 billion (2024)
• Samoa — US$394.94 million (2024)
• Solomon Islands

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 external debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$)?

US$2.42 trillion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is up 41,636% from US$5.8 billion in 1981 (15.06% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$2.72 trillion in 2021 and the lowest US$5.8 billion in 1981.

How does China rank?

2nd highest of 118 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in external debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) unusual for China?

In 2024, China's external debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) fell 1.1% on 2023 (from US$2.45 trillion to US$2.42 trillion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +12.8% and a typical year strayed about 15.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.DOD.DECT.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, 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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