Country profile · World rank 2nd by GDP · World Bank data
China Economy 2026
The China economy in 2026: nominal & PPP GDP ($19.50 trillion, 2nd globally), GDP per capita, growth 5.0%, inflation 0.1%, unemployment 4.6%, trade and population — charts, world rankings and a downloadable dataset. Source: World Bank. Free to cite.
Executive summary
China is the world's 2nd-largest economy, with a nominal GDP of $19.50 trillion (2025) according to the World Bank. Measured per person, its GDP per capita of $13,862 ranks 37th globally and sits below the OECD average of $51,734. The economy grew 5.0% in its latest year, with consumer-price inflation of 0.1% and unemployment of 4.6%. China has a population of 1,406.6 million (2nd-largest among the economies tracked). Every figure below carries its World Bank series and year; the full dataset is downloadable as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
Key findings
China is the 2nd-largest economy
China's GDP (nominal) was $19.50 trillion (2025), ranking 2nd of 49 economies. At PPP its GDP is $38.19 trillion.
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Living standards (GDP per capita)
China's GDP per capita was $13,862 (2025), ranking 37th of 49 economies. At PPP, $27,105; GNI per capita $14,230.
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Economic growth
China's GDP growth was 5.0% (2025), ranking 7th of 49 economies.
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Inflation
China's inflation (CPI) was 0.1% (2025), ranking 48th of 49 economies.
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Unemployment
China's unemployment (ILO) was 4.6% (2025), ranking 26th of 49 economies.
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Population
China's population was 1,406.6 million (2025), ranking 2nd of 49 economies.
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Trade openness
China's exports (% of GDP) was 21.1% (2025), ranking 42nd of 48 economies. Exports as a share of GDP.
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Data vintage — July 2026
Figures are the most recent year available in the World Bank Open Data API for China (shown next to each value). World ranks are computed across the major economies Affärslivet tracks. This profile regenerates automatically as new data is published.
Economic size
China is the world's 2nd-largest economy by nominal GDP at $19.50 trillion (2025). At purchasing-power parity (PPP) — which adjusts for local price levels — its GDP is $38.19 trillion, a fairer gauge of real output. For reference, the world economy totals $118.35 trillion.
| Indicator | China | World rank | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (nominal) | $19.50 trillion | 2nd/49 | 2025 |
| GDP (PPP) | $38.19 trillion | 1st/49 | 2024 |
Living standards
GDP per capita — output per person — is $13,862 (37th globally), below the OECD average of $51,734 and the world average of $14,406. At PPP it is $27,105. GNI per capita — income including flows from abroad — is $14,230, a useful cross-check.
| Indicator | China | World rank | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita | $13,862 | 37th/49 | 2025 |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $27,105 | 37th/49 | 2024 |
| GNI per capita | $14,230 | 36th/49 | 2025 |
Economic growth
Real GDP grew 5.0% in the latest year. The chart tracks China's growth against Sweden over the past decade.
Inflation
Consumer-price inflation was 0.1% in China's latest year, against a world backdrop of disinflation from the 2022–2023 shock.
Labour market
The unemployment rate (ILO-modelled, for cross-country comparison) was 4.6%.
Trade & structure
Exports equal 21.1% of GDP and industry accounts for 35.6% of value added — indicators of how open and how industrialised the economy is.
| Indicator | China | World rank | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exports (% of GDP) | 21.1% | 42nd/48 | 2025 |
| Industry (% of GDP) | 35.6% | 7th/49 | 2025 |
| Government debt (% of GDP) | n/a | — | — |
Population
China has 1,406.6 million people (2nd-largest of the economies tracked), the denominator behind every per-capita figure above.
| Indicator | China | World rank | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,406.6 million | 2nd/49 | 2025 |
All indicators at a glance
Every tracked indicator for China, with its world rank and reference year.
| Indicator | China | World rank | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (nominal) | $19.50 trillion | 2nd/49 | 2025 |
| GDP (PPP) | $38.19 trillion | 1st/49 | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $13,862 | 37th/49 | 2025 |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $27,105 | 37th/49 | 2024 |
| GNI per capita | $14,230 | 36th/49 | 2025 |
| GDP growth | 5.0% | 7th/49 | 2025 |
| Inflation (CPI) | 0.1% | 48th/49 | 2025 |
| Unemployment (ILO) | 4.6% | 26th/49 | 2025 |
| Population | 1,406.6 million | 2nd/49 | 2025 |
| Exports (% of GDP) | 21.1% | 42nd/48 | 2025 |
| Government debt (% of GDP) | n/a | — | — |
| Industry (% of GDP) | 35.6% | 7th/49 | 2025 |
Scoreboard (machine-readable data)
Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
| Indicator | Value | Period | Source | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (nominal) | 19498039388042.6 US$ | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| GDP (PPP) | 38190084585497.8 US$ | 2024 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| GDP per capita | 13861.97 US$ | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 27104.87 US$ | 2024 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| GNI per capita | 14230 US$ | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| GDP growth | 4.96 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Inflation (CPI) | 0.06 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Unemployment (ILO) | 4.62 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Population | 1406585000 people | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Exports (% of GDP) | 21.07 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Industry (% of GDP) | 35.64 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
Methodology & verification
This profile compiles World Bank Open Data indicators for China, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. GDP is shown in both nominal (current US$) and PPP (international $) terms; growth and inflation are annual percentages; unemployment uses the ILO-modelled estimate. World ranks are computed across the ~50 major economies tracked and are indicative, not exhaustive. Each value is the latest year available; missing values are shown n/a, never estimated. Confidence: High (official multilateral source).
Data dictionary
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| metric | string | World Bank indicator code |
| label | string | Indicator name |
| value | number | Value for China |
| unit | string | US$, %, or people |
| period | string | Reference year |
| source_url | string | World Bank indicator page |
Frequently asked questions
What is China's GDP?
China's nominal GDP was $19.50 trillion (2025), the world's 2nd-largest; at PPP it was $38.19 trillion. Source: World Bank.
What is China's GDP per capita?
$13,862 nominal (37th globally) and $27,105 at PPP (2025). Source: World Bank.
What is China's inflation rate?
Consumer-price inflation was 0.1% in China's latest reported year. Source: World Bank.
What is China's unemployment rate?
4.6% on the ILO-modelled measure (2025). Source: World Bank.
How fast is China's economy growing?
Real GDP grew 5.0% in the latest year. Source: World Bank.
What is China's population?
1,406.6 million (2nd-largest of the economies tracked). Source: World Bank.
Where does this data come from?
The World Bank Open Data API. Every figure shows its reference year and links to its indicator page; world ranks are computed across the major economies tracked.
Can I download this data?
Yes — the full profile is available as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence, free to reuse with attribution to Affärslivet.
Glossary
- GDP (nominal)
- Gross domestic product at current market prices and exchange rates. ↗
- GDP (PPP)
- GDP converted at purchasing-power parity, adjusting for price-level differences between countries. ↗
- GDP per capita
- GDP divided by population — a gauge of average prosperity. ↗
- GNI per capita
- Gross national income per person, including net income from abroad. ↗
- Inflation (CPI)
- Annual percentage change in consumer prices. ↗
- Unemployment (ILO)
- Share of the labour force without work but seeking it, on the internationally comparable ILO definition. ↗
- World Bank Open Data
- A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗
How to cite this report
APA
Affärslivet Research. (2026). China Economy 2026. Affärslivet. Version 1.0. https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/china-economy
MLA
Affärslivet Research. "China Economy 2026." Affärslivet, 2026-07-01, https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/china-economy.
BibTeX
@techreport{affarslivet_china_economy,
title = {China Economy 2026},
author = {{Affärslivet Research}},
year = {2026},
note = {Version 1.0},
url = {https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/china-economy}
}