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Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in China

China: Public and publicly guaranteed debt service was 1.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.9%
Change on year
down 38.8%
World rank
108th
of 120 countries
All-time high
11.5%
in 1997
All-time low
0.4%
in 2012
Years of data
43
1982–2024

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in China, 1982–2024

02.557.51012.51982200320241982: 7.5 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1983: 7.7 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1984: 6.6 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1985: 6.4 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1986: 8.2 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1987: 7.7 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1988: 8.2 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1989: 9.8 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1990: 9.7 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1991: 10.2 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1992: 9.4 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1993: 10.2 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1994: 8.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1995: 9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1996: 8.3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1997: 11.5 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1998: 8.7 % of exports of goods, services and primary income1999: 9.2 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2000: 7.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2001: 6.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2002: 5.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2003: 3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2004: 1.3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2005: 1.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2006: 0.849 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2007: 0.644 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2008: 0.586 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2009: 0.633 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2010: 0.767 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2011: 0.657 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2012: 0.446 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2013: 0.479 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2014: 0.544 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2015: 1.3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2016: 0.763 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2017: 0.691 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2018: 0.734 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2019: 1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2020: 1.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2021: 1.3 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2022: 2.4 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2023: 3.1 % of exports of goods, services and primary income2024: 1.9 % of exports of goods, services and primary income

Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.

Analysis

In 2024, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in China stood at 1.9%.

That represents a change of down 38.8% on the previous year and up 245.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in China peaked at 11.5% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2012.

China ranks 108th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in China, year by year

Year % of exports of goods, services and primary income Change
1982 7.5% —
1983 7.7% +3.7%
1984 6.6% -14.5%
1985 6.4% -3.7%
1986 8.2% +29.1%
1987 7.7% -6.6%
1988 8.2% +7.2%
1989 9.8% +19.3%
1990 9.7% -1.2%
1991 10.2% +4.9%
1992 9.4% -7.7%
1993 10.2% +9.2%
1994 8.1% -20.6%
1995 9.0% +10.4%
1996 8.3% -7.4%
1997 11.5% +38.2%
1998 8.7% -24.3%
1999 9.2% +5.3%
2000 7.1% -22.6%
2001 6.1% -14.2%
2002 5.1% -16.5%
2003 3.0% -40.5%
2004 1.3% -57.8%
2005 1.1% -14.3%
2006 0.8% -22.5%
2007 0.6% -24.1%
2008 0.6% -9.1%
2009 0.6% +8.1%
2010 0.8% +21.1%
2011 0.7% -14.4%
2012 0.4% -32.1%
2013 0.5% +7.5%
2014 0.5% +13.5%
2015 1.3% +146.2%
2016 0.8% -43.0%
2017 0.7% -9.4%
2018 0.7% +6.2%
2019 1.0% +36.9%
2020 1.1% +12.4%
2021 1.3% +15.3%
2022 2.4% +85.8%
2023 3.1% +27.0%
2024 1.9% -38.8%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 1.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.4%, 25% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
  • China's 1.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.7%, 40% of the median. (16 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 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.

YearChange FromTo
2015 +146.2% 0.5% 1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.8% 6.4% 9.8% 8
1990s 9.4% 8.1% 11.5% 10
2000s 2.6% 0.6% 7.1% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.4% 1.3% 10
2020s 2.0% 1.1% 3.1% 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 105 Liberia 2.4% compare
  2. 106 Sao Tome and Principe 2.3% compare
  3. 107 Djibouti 2.0% compare
  4. 109 Cambodia 1.7% compare
  5. 110 Afghanistan 1.7% compare
  6. 111 Lebanon 1.6% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More external debt data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is public and publicly guaranteed debt service in China?
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in China was 1.9% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 11.5% in 1997.
What is the lowest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2012.
How does China rank for public and publicly guaranteed debt service?
China ranks 108th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
Is public and publicly guaranteed debt service rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 245.8%. 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 Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in China. Statizoid, drawing on International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://debt.statizoid.com/stat/public-and-publicly-guaranteed-debt-service-percent-of-exports-of-goods-services-and/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)
Unit
% of exports of goods, services and primary income
Source
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
152 places, 5,881 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service to exports of goods, services, and income. Public and publicly guaranteed debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term obligations of public debtors and long-term private obligations guaranteed by a public entity. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.