Merchandise trade in China
China: Merchandise trade was 32.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise trade in China, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in China is 32.6%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in China peaked at 63.1% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 1971.
That places China 170th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise trade in China, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 8.7% | — |
| 1961 | 7.4% | -15.7% |
| 1962 | 6.9% | -5.6% |
| 1963 | 6.9% | -1.4% |
| 1964 | 6.6% | -3.4% |
| 1965 | 6.8% | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 6.7% | -1.4% |
| 1967 | 6.2% | -7.1% |
| 1968 | 6.2% | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 5.4% | -12.4% |
| 1970 | 4.9% | -9.2% |
| 1971 | 4.9% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 5.7% | +16.9% |
| 1973 | 8.0% | +39.0% |
| 1974 | 10.3% | +29.2% |
| 1975 | 9.5% | -7.5% |
| 1976 | 8.8% | -7.5% |
| 1977 | 8.4% | -5.1% |
| 1978 | 14.1% | +68.2% |
| 1979 | 16.4% | +16.3% |
| 1980 | 19.9% | +21.3% |
| 1981 | 22.4% | +12.9% |
| 1982 | 20.2% | -9.7% |
| 1983 | 18.9% | -6.8% |
| 1984 | 20.6% | +9.0% |
| 1985 | 22.4% | +9.2% |
| 1986 | 24.5% | +9.2% |
| 1987 | 30.2% | +23.3% |
| 1988 | 32.9% | +8.7% |
| 1989 | 32.1% | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 31.9% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 35.3% | +10.5% |
| 1992 | 38.6% | +9.5% |
| 1993 | 43.8% | +13.5% |
| 1994 | 41.7% | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 38.0% | -8.8% |
| 1996 | 33.4% | -12.3% |
| 1997 | 33.6% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 31.2% | -7.0% |
| 1999 | 32.7% | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 38.8% | +18.6% |
| 2001 | 37.6% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 41.7% | +10.8% |
| 2003 | 50.5% | +21.3% |
| 2004 | 58.2% | +15.1% |
| 2005 | 61.4% | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 63.1% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 60.4% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 54.9% | -9.1% |
| 2009 | 42.5% | -22.5% |
| 2010 | 48.0% | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 47.5% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 44.6% | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 42.7% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 40.3% | -5.6% |
| 2015 | 35.0% | -13.0% |
| 2016 | 32.2% | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 32.8% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 32.7% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 31.4% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 31.0% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 32.9% | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 34.1% | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 32.5% | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 32.9% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 32.6% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.8% | 5.4% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.1% | 4.9% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.4% | 18.9% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.0% | 31.2% | 43.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.9% | 37.6% | 63.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.7% | 31.4% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.7% | 31.0% | 34.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More private sector data for China
- Food imports 8.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 49.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 2.58 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.4% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 91.2% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 3.77 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,682 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1934 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 5.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 1,836 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in China?
- Merchandise trade in China was 32.6% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 63.1% in 2006.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 1971.
- How does China rank for merchandise trade?
- China ranks 170th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.