China vs Japan: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy
China
2.46 trillion current US$
in 2023
Japan
785.51 billion current US$
in 2023
China rank
2nd
Japan rank
5th
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 2.46 trillion current US$ against 785.51 billion current US$ in Japan, a difference of 1.67 trillion current US$.
That makes China's figure about 3.1 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 47 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Japan ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 5th of 206 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Japan in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 657.90 million current US$ | 5.24 billion current US$ | 4.58 billion current US$ | Japan |
| 1970s | 11.84 billion current US$ | 92.69 billion current US$ | 80.85 billion current US$ | Japan |
| 1980s | 32.36 billion current US$ | 145.55 billion current US$ | 113.19 billion current US$ | Japan |
| 1990s | 110.73 billion current US$ | 281.59 billion current US$ | 170.86 billion current US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 579.33 billion current US$ | 493.34 billion current US$ | 85.99 billion current US$ | China |
| 2010s | 1.66 trillion current US$ | 747.43 billion current US$ | 916.02 billion current US$ | China |
| 2020s | 2.37 trillion current US$ | 770.57 billion current US$ | 1.60 trillion current US$ | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher merchandise imports by the reporting economy, China or Japan?
- China, at 2.46 trillion current US$ against 785.51 billion current US$ in Japan as of 2023.
- What is the difference in merchandise imports by the reporting economy between China and Japan?
- 1.67 trillion current US$, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 5th of 206 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.