External debt stocks, short-term in China
China: External debt stocks, short-term was 1.31 trillion DOD, current US$ in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.31 trillion DOD, current US$
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
1st
of 122 countries
All-time high
1.37 trillion DOD, current US$
in 2021
All-time low
2.30 billion DOD, current US$
in 1982
Years of data
43
1982–2024
External debt stocks, short-term in China, 1982–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in DOD, current US$.
Analysis
China recorded 1.31 trillion DOD, current US$ for external debt stocks, short-term in 2024.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, short-term in China peaked at 1.37 trillion DOD, current US$ in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.30 billion DOD, current US$, in 1982.
China ranks 1st of 122 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt stocks, short-term in China, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 2.30 billion DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1983 | 3.98 billion DOD, current US$ | +73.2% |
| 1984 | 5.60 billion DOD, current US$ | +40.6% |
| 1985 | 6.42 billion DOD, current US$ | +14.6% |
| 1986 | 6.08 billion DOD, current US$ | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 8.22 billion DOD, current US$ | +35.3% |
| 1988 | 8.81 billion DOD, current US$ | +7.1% |
| 1989 | 6.91 billion DOD, current US$ | -21.6% |
| 1990 | 9.32 billion DOD, current US$ | +34.9% |
| 1991 | 10.78 billion DOD, current US$ | +15.7% |
| 1992 | 13.77 billion DOD, current US$ | +27.7% |
| 1993 | 15.30 billion DOD, current US$ | +11.1% |
| 1994 | 17.48 billion DOD, current US$ | +14.3% |
| 1995 | 22.33 billion DOD, current US$ | +27.7% |
| 1996 | 25.41 billion DOD, current US$ | +13.8% |
| 1997 | 31.46 billion DOD, current US$ | +23.8% |
| 1998 | 17.34 billion DOD, current US$ | -44.9% |
| 1999 | 15.18 billion DOD, current US$ | -12.5% |
| 2000 | 13.08 billion DOD, current US$ | -13.8% |
| 2001 | 56.30 billion DOD, current US$ | +330.4% |
| 2002 | 65.68 billion DOD, current US$ | +16.7% |
| 2003 | 88.09 billion DOD, current US$ | +34.1% |
| 2004 | 115.77 billion DOD, current US$ | +31.4% |
| 2005 | 148.27 billion DOD, current US$ | +28.1% |
| 2006 | 173.38 billion DOD, current US$ | +16.9% |
| 2007 | 203.70 billion DOD, current US$ | +17.5% |
| 2008 | 187.19 billion DOD, current US$ | -8.1% |
| 2009 | 240.51 billion DOD, current US$ | +28.5% |
| 2010 | 512.32 billion DOD, current US$ | +113.0% |
| 2011 | 771.36 billion DOD, current US$ | +50.6% |
| 2012 | 792.11 billion DOD, current US$ | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 1.08 trillion DOD, current US$ | +36.0% |
| 2014 | 1.24 trillion DOD, current US$ | +15.1% |
| 2015 | 822.24 billion DOD, current US$ | -33.7% |
| 2016 | 801.40 billion DOD, current US$ | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 1.03 trillion DOD, current US$ | +28.6% |
| 2018 | 1.22 trillion DOD, current US$ | +18.3% |
| 2019 | 1.21 trillion DOD, current US$ | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.24 trillion DOD, current US$ | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 1.37 trillion DOD, current US$ | +10.6% |
| 2022 | 1.27 trillion DOD, current US$ | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 1.29 trillion DOD, current US$ | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 1.31 trillion DOD, current US$ | +1.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1.31 trillion DOD, current US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.37 billion DOD, current US$, 550.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- China's 1.31 trillion DOD, current US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.08 billion DOD, current US$, 1214.6× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External debt stocks, short-term in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +330.4% | 13.08 billion DOD, current US$ | 56.30 billion DOD, current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.04 billion DOD, current US$ | 2.30 billion DOD, current US$ | 8.81 billion DOD, current US$ | 8 |
| 1990s | 17.84 billion DOD, current US$ | 9.32 billion DOD, current US$ | 31.46 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 129.20 billion DOD, current US$ | 13.08 billion DOD, current US$ | 240.51 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 947.08 billion DOD, current US$ | 512.32 billion DOD, current US$ | 1.24 trillion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.29 trillion DOD, current US$ | 1.24 trillion DOD, current US$ | 1.37 trillion DOD, current US$ | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More external debt data for China
- IFC, private nonguaranteed 319.08 million NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 0.2265 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 0.6221 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 0.4% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA -105.01 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita -0.0745 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP -0 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD -596.31 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks, short-term in China?
- External debt stocks, short-term in China was 1.31 trillion DOD, current US$ in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, short-term recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.37 trillion DOD, current US$ in 2021.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, short-term recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.30 billion DOD, current US$ in 1982.
- How does China rank for external debt stocks, short-term?
- China ranks 1st out of 122 countries with data for 2024.
- Is external debt stocks, short-term rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of External debt stocks, short-term (DOD, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Short-term external debt is defined as debt that has an original maturity of one year or less. Available data permit no distinction between public and private nonguaranteed short-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.