China: Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, China's primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) fell 2.8 percentage points on 2023 (from 100.87% to 98.07%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2011 to 2023), the average change was +0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.14 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.44 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.13 percentage points in 2019. 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 downward, about 0.36 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 46% 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 13th highest value of the 28 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

• Morocco — 10th of 28: 99.48%
• Ethiopia — 11th of 28: 99.44%
• India — 12th of 28: 98.67%
• Kazakhstan — 14th of 28: 97.82%
• Tanzania — 15th of 28: 96.75%
• North Macedonia — 16th of 28: 96.4%

What this measures

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget measures the extent to which aggregate budget expenditure outturn reflects the amount originally approved, as defined in government budget documentation and fiscal reports. The coverage is budgetary central government (BCG) and the time period covered is the last three completed fiscal years.

Limitations: Although not all countries have used the PEFA methodology on an annual basis for the PEFA PI-1 indicator, the methodology relies on standard data sets for approved and final budget outturns which are commonly produced at least annually in every country. The countries that have not used the methodology to date are primarily highly developed countries which would have less difficulty in providing the necessary data than those in the lower and middle income categories that have been primary users of Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) to date. (As of: 2024-07-29) One limitation of the indicator is that it is an aggregate indicator of budget reliability.

All 15 values

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) in nearby economies

• Australia — 100.63% (2023)
• Cambodia — 94.69% (2020)
• Fiji — 94.23% (2024)
• Indonesia — 100.76% (2024)
• Japan — 123% (2022)
• Kiribati — 100.77% (2022)
• Malaysia — 102.96% (2024)
• Marshall Islands — 97.87% (2019)

More public sector data for China

• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 880 million (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 207 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 335.52 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 2.41 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.72% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 5.12% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 2.54 million (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.33% (2020)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 0.5 (2020)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is China's primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)?

98.07% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2010?

It is down 1.56 percentage points from 99.63% in 2010. The highest value was 102.34% in 2018 and the lowest 96.86% in 2011.

How does China rank?

13th highest of 28 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%) unusual for China?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GF.XPD.BUDG.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA), World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.pefa.org/node/5239, note: The raw data collected in order to calculate this indicator are the initially Approved and Executed Budgets. 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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