China vs Upper middle income: Short-term debt (% of total external debt)
Short-term debt (% of total external debt) over time
- China
- Upper middle income
How they compare
China currently reports 55.3% against 29.3% in Upper middle income, a difference of 26.0%.
That makes China's figure about 1.9 times Upper middle income's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Upper middle income ahead.
China ranks 1st and Upper middle income ranks 2nd of 123 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and Upper middle income in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.5% | 15.9% | 10.6% | China |
| 1990s | 17.1% | 19.7% | 2.6% | Upper middle income |
| 2000s | 42.5% | 20.1% | 22.3% | China |
| 2010s | 65.0% | 32.1% | 32.9% | China |
| 2020s | 52.3% | 29.2% | 23.1% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher short-term debt, China or Upper middle income?
- China, at 55.3% against 29.3% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in short-term debt between China and Upper middle income?
- 26.0%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Upper middle income?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2025.
- How do China and Upper middle income rank globally for short-term debt?
- China ranks 1st and Upper middle income ranks 2nd of 123 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as Short-term debt (% of total external debt). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
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About this data
Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. 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.