China: Personal transfers, receipts (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

Since 1982 it is up 1,045% from US$541 million in 1982 (7.01% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 12 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2018, China's personal transfers, receipts (current US$, BoP) fell 11.2% on 2017 (from US$6.98 billion to US$6.2 billion).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2017), the average change was +46.3% and a typical year strayed about 108.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 377.7% in 1996 and the biggest yearly fall was 94.4% in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Personal transfers are current transfers, in cash or in kind, received by resident households from non-resident households. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

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

All 25 values

Personal transfers, receipts (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Cambodia — US$2.12 billion (2025)
• Fiji — US$391.28 million (2024)
• French Polynesia — US$1.86 million (2016)
• Indonesia — US$17.25 billion (2025)
• Japan — US$4.41 billion (2025)
• Kiribati — US$9.76 million (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — US$6.29 billion (2025)
• Lao PDR — US$400.26 million (2025)
• Macao SAR, China — US$143.32 million (2025)
• Marshall 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 personal transfers, receipts (current US$, BoP)?

US$6.2 billion in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1982?

It is up 1,045% from US$541 million in 1982 (7.01% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$6.98 billion in 2017 and the lowest US$76 million in 1989.

Is the latest change in personal transfers, receipts (current US$, BoP) unusual for China?

In 2018, China's personal transfers, receipts (current US$, BoP) fell 11.2% on 2017 (from US$6.98 billion to US$6.2 billion). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1983 to 2017), the average change was +46.3% and a typical year strayed about 108.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BX.TRF.PWKR.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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