China vs World: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy
China
2.46 trillion current US$
in 2023
World
23.45 trillion current US$
in 2023
China rank
2nd
World rank
1st
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy over time
- China
- World
How they compare
World currently reports 23.45 trillion current US$ against 2.46 trillion current US$ in China, a difference of 20.99 trillion current US$.
That makes World's figure about 9.5 times China's.
Across all 47 years both countries report, World has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and World ranks 1st of 206 countries.
World has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 657.90 million current US$ | 102.75 billion current US$ | 102.09 billion current US$ | World |
| 1970s | 11.84 billion current US$ | 1.21 trillion current US$ | 1.20 trillion current US$ | World |
| 1980s | 32.36 billion current US$ | 1.86 trillion current US$ | 1.82 trillion current US$ | World |
| 1990s | 110.73 billion current US$ | 4.25 trillion current US$ | 4.14 trillion current US$ | World |
| 2000s | 579.33 billion current US$ | 9.99 trillion current US$ | 9.41 trillion current US$ | World |
| 2010s | 1.66 trillion current US$ | 17.41 trillion current US$ | 15.75 trillion current US$ | World |
| 2020s | 2.37 trillion current US$ | 21.74 trillion current US$ | 19.36 trillion current US$ | World |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher merchandise imports by the reporting economy, China or World?
- World, at 23.45 trillion current US$ against 2.46 trillion current US$ in China as of 2023.
- What is the difference in merchandise imports by the reporting economy between China and World?
- 20.99 trillion current US$, with World ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and World?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do China and World rank globally for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- China ranks 2nd and World ranks 1st of 206 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). 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.