Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in China
China: Travel services (% of commercial service imports) was 41.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Travel services in China, 1982–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
In 2025, travel services in China stood at 41.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 28.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in China peaked at 57.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 1983.
China ranks 22nd of 198 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in China, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 3.5% | — |
| 1983 | 2.9% | -18.6% |
| 1984 | 5.7% | +97.7% |
| 1985 | 13.9% | +143.9% |
| 1986 | 15.2% | +9.5% |
| 1987 | 16.6% | +9.0% |
| 1988 | 19.0% | +14.8% |
| 1989 | 12.0% | -36.9% |
| 1990 | 11.4% | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 13.0% | +13.6% |
| 1992 | 27.3% | +110.2% |
| 1993 | 24.2% | -11.3% |
| 1994 | 19.2% | -20.5% |
| 1995 | 15.0% | -22.2% |
| 1996 | 20.0% | +33.6% |
| 1997 | 29.0% | +45.0% |
| 1998 | 34.1% | +17.6% |
| 1999 | 34.5% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 36.3% | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 35.5% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 33.2% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 27.6% | -17.1% |
| 2004 | 27.3% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 26.1% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 24.2% | -7.1% |
| 2007 | 23.0% | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 27.6% | +20.8% |
| 2010 | 28.5% | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 29.4% | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 36.4% | +23.7% |
| 2013 | 39.0% | +7.3% |
| 2014 | 52.8% | +35.2% |
| 2015 | 57.7% | +9.3% |
| 2016 | 57.1% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 55.0% | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 53.2% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 53.1% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 35.1% | -33.8% |
| 2021 | 26.6% | -24.3% |
| 2022 | 27.4% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 37.5% | +36.8% |
| 2024 | 42.1% | +12.2% |
| 2025 | 41.0% | -2.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 41.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23.2%, 1.8× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 41.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.4%, 1.8× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +143.9% | 5.7% | 13.9% |
| 1992 | +110.2% | 13.0% | 27.3% |
| 1984 | +97.7% | 2.9% | 5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.1% | 2.9% | 19.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 22.8% | 11.4% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.4% | 22.9% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.2% | 28.5% | 57.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.0% | 26.6% | 42.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More private sector data for China
- Merchandise trade 32.6% (2025)
- Food imports 8.0% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 50.9% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 2.58 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 619.60 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.3% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 90.5% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 3.77 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 383.15 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,682 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in China?
- Travel services in China was 41.0% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 57.7% in 2015.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 1983.
- How does China rank for travel services?
- China ranks 22nd out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.