Is China in more debt than the US?
China's debt is more than 250 percent of GDP, higher than the United States. It remains lower than Japan, the world's most indebted leading economy, but some experts say the concern is that China's debt has surged at the sort of pace that usually leads to a financial bust and economic slump.
The IMF expects U.S. government debt to be 133.9% of annual gross domestic product in 2029, up from 122.1% in 2023. And it expects China's debt to rise to 110.1% of GDP by the same year from 83.6%.
Most of this debt came from building infrastructure, much of which is unlikely to generate revenues sufficient to pay off the obligations. With China's trend growth rate notably lower now than it was, it leaves a burden over the long haul.
At the top is Japan, whose national debt has remained above 100% of its GDP for two decades, reaching 255% in 2023.
It began rising at a fast rate in the 1980's and was accelerated through events like the Iraq Wars and the 2008 Great Recession. Most recently, the debt made another big jump thanks to the pandemic with the federal government spending significantly more than it took in to keep the country running.
China's debt-to-GDP ratio climbs to record 287.8% in 2023 - Nikkei Asia.
China is one of the United States's largest creditors, owning about $859.4 billion in U.S. debt. 1 However, it does not own the most U.S. debt of any foreign country. Nations borrowing from each other may be as old as the concept of money.
Public sector debt was RMB 30.3 trillion (53.2% of GDP) while private sector debt (including both household and non-financial corporate sector) amounted to RMB 103.5 trillion (181.9% of GDP). The banking sector is still the biggest lender in China.
China is in the midst of a profound economic crisis. Growth rates are flagging as an unsustainable mountain of debt piles up; China's debt-to-GDP ratio reached a record 288% in 2023.
China's debt is more than 250 percent of GDP, higher than the United States. It remains lower than Japan, the world's most indebted leading economy, but some experts say the concern is that China's debt has surged at the sort of pace that usually leads to a financial bust and economic slump.
What country is not in debt?
| Characteristic | National debt in relation to GDP |
|---|---|
| Macao SAR | 0% |
| Brunei Darussalam | 2.06% |
| Kuwait | 3.08% |
| Hong Kong SAR | 4.27% |
[2] A report by the credit rating agency S&P Global in 2022 estimated that 79 per cent of corporate debt in China was owed by SOEs (the IMF does not break down the proportion of debt owed by SOEs).
With $1.1 trillion in Treasury holdings, Japan is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt.
Under current policy, the United States has about 20 years for corrective action after which no amount of future tax increases or spending cuts could avoid the government defaulting on its debt whether explicitly or implicitly (i.e., debt monetization producing significant inflation).
| Country/territory | US foreign-owned debt (January 2023) |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $668,300,000,000 |
| Belgium | $331,100,000,000 |
| Luxembourg | $318,200,000,000 |
| Switzerland | $290,500,000,000 |
The National Debt Explained
money from federal income tax), a budget deficit results. To pay for this deficit, the federal government borrows money by selling marketable securities such as Treasury bonds , bills , notes , floating rate notes , and Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) .
Related information about China National Government Debt
In the latest reports, China Consolidated Fiscal Balance recorded a deficit equal to 4.6 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2023. The country's Government debt accounted for 22.7 % of its Nominal GDP in Sep 2023. China Nominal GDP reached 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.
In 2023, aggregate local government debt had risen to 92 trillion yuan ($12.58 trillion) and the central government of People's Republic of China ordered its banks to roll over debts in a debt-restructuring. China's gross external debt in 2023 was $2.38 trillion.
Why did China get into a debt problem? Figures show that China's over-borrowing of the public and corporate sector can basically be traced back to the huge stimulus package and lax monetary policy that Chinese economic authorities introduced during the global financial crisis in 2008-2009.
The most immediate effect would be an increase in interest rates on Treasuries since selling so many at once would artificially depress their prices in the bond market; thus increasing their yields.
What happens if China dumps U.S. debt?
A sizeable sell-off of Treasury securities by China would almost certainly lead to an appreciation of China's currency and depreciation of the dollar. This is more likely to help the United States than to hurt us, contrary to the claims of many observers.
As a result, if the United States and other countries were to stop trading with China, it would disrupt global supply chains and cause economic disruptions in many countries.
The $34 trillion gross federal debt equals debt held by the public plus debt held by federal trust funds and other government accounts. In very basic terms, this can be thought of as debt that the government owes to others plus debt that it owes to itself. Learn more about different ways to measure our national debt.
In March, the surveyed urban unemployment rate in the country came in at 5.2 percent, down 0.1 percentage points from the month before as well as March 2023, indicating a generally stable employment situation, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
An Explainer. Just about every country has debt: governments take loans to pay for new roads and hospitals, to keep economies ticking over when recessions hit or tax revenues fall. Sometimes they borrow from countries, other times banks, or maybe asset managers—companies like those investing your pension dollars.
