China

How Large Is China's Economy?

China's GDP of $18.74T makes it a upper-middle-income economy by World Bank classification. GDP per capita of $13,303 is 19% above the regional average of 11,200 (World Bank, 2025). The economy has grown 88% over the past decade, from $9.74T in 2013 to $18.27T in 2023. The most recent annual growth rate of 5.0% is above the global median of 3.1% (World Bank, 2025). The unemployment rate of 4.6% is 10% above the regional average of 4.2 (World Bank, 2025). Inflation of 0.2% is within the 2-3% range considered stable by most central banks. China's official currency is the Chinese yuan (¥). As a UN member, China participates in multilateral trade frameworks.

Historical Economic Trajectory

Between 1994 and 2023, China's GDP expanded by 3123% in nominal terms, rising from $566.9B to $18.27T over 29 years. This more-than-doubling of economic output reflects sustained structural growth across the period. Over the same reference period (1994 to 2023), China's population grew from 1.19B to 1.41B, a change of 18% (218.9M people) across 29 years. Steady population growth has driven demand for housing, education, and public services throughout the period. Taken together, the GDP and population trajectories from 1994 onward illustrate how China's economic output has evolved relative to its demographic base. Real GDP per capita has broadly improved over the span, as nominal output growth outpaced population growth by approximately 3105 percentage points.

What Are China's Demographics?

With 1.41B people, China is one of only 3 countries with over 1 billion people. At 145 people per km², the country is moderately populated. Population has grown at 0.3% annually over the past decade (World Bank, 2025). Life expectancy stands at 78.0 years, 6.0 years above the global average of 72 years. Infant mortality of 4.5 per 1,000 live births is 75% below the regional average of 18 (World Bank, 2025). The country's official language is Chinese. Over the past decade, China's population grew from 1.19B to 1.41B, adding 218.9M people.

Where Is China Located?

China covers 9,706,961 km² (3,748,000 sq miles) and shares land borders with 16 countries. The country sits within the Asia region, Eastern Asia subregion, spanning Asia. Beijing serves as the seat of government and administrative capital of China. The country spans 1 time zone. Recognized internationally by ISO codes CN and CHN, China is an independent sovereign state and a full UN member. Its 1 currency (CNY) reflects its participation in multilateral trade and monetary frameworks.

Border Countries

North KoreaVietnamAfghanistanRussiaMyanmarKyrgyzstanMongoliaIndia