About

Overview In 2022, China was the number 2 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 1 in total exports, the number 2 in total imports, the number 67 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 24 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) .

Exports The top exports of China are Broadcasting Equipment ($272B), Integrated Circuits ($212B), Computers ($181B), Office Machine Parts ($111B), and Semiconductor Devices ($70.2B), exporting mostly to United States ($551B), Hong Kong ($276B), Japan ($178B), Germany ($152B), and South Korea ($150B).

In 2022, China was the world's biggest exporter of Broadcasting Equipment ($272B), Computers ($181B), Office Machine Parts ($111B), Semiconductor Devices ($70.2B), and Electric Batteries ($58.7B)

Imports The top imports of China are Crude Petroleum ($287B), Integrated Circuits ($232B), Iron Ore ($103B), Petroleum Gas ($72.7B), and Gold ($67.6B), importing mostly from United States ($151B), South Korea ($150B), Japan ($135B), Australia ($123B), and China ($123B).

In 2022, China was the world's biggest importer of Crude Petroleum ($287B), Integrated Circuits ($232B), Iron Ore ($103B), Soybeans ($54.1B), and Copper Ore ($50.5B)

Location China borders North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Macau by land and Indonesia, Brunei, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Philippines by sea.

Latest Trends

December, 2023

Historical Data

Yearly Trade

Flow
Color
Depth
Top Export (2022)Broadcasting Equipment$272B
Top Destination (2022)United States$551B

In 2022, China exported a total of $3.73T, making it the number 1 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of China have changed by $1.17T from $2.56T in 2017 to $3.73T in 2022.

The most recent exports are led by Broadcasting Equipment ($272B), Integrated Circuits ($212B), Computers ($181B), Office Machine Parts ($111B), and Semiconductor Devices ($70.2B). The most common destination for the exports of China are United States ($551B), Hong Kong ($276B), Japan ($178B), Germany ($152B), and South Korea ($150B).

Explore Visualizations

Exports (2022)
[Click to Select a Product]

Destinations (2022)
[Click to Select a Country]

Market Growth

Flow
View
Fastest Growing Export Markets (2021 - 2022)
United States$23.9B (+ 4.54%)
Singapore$20.1B (+ 37.7%)
Germany$18.5B (+ 13.8%)
Fastest Growing Import Markets (2021 - 2022)
Russia$29.3B (+ 41%)
Saudi Arabia$19B (+ 38.9%)
United Kingdom$14.7B (+ 70.7%)

Total Export Growth by Market (2021 - 2022)

Service Trade

Service Trade

China Exports Services (2020)$208B
China Imports Services (2020)$378B

In 2020, China exported $208B worth of services. The top services exported by China in 2020 were Other business services ($69.8B), Transportation ($56.7B), Computer and information services ($39B), Construction services ($12.6B), and Travel ($9.95B).

The top services imported by China in 2020 were Travel ($131B), Transportation ($94.7B), Other business services ($50.3B), Royalties and license fees ($37.9B), and Computer and information services ($32.6B).

Service Exports (2020)

Service Imports (2020)

Economic Complexity

Overview

Economic Complexity (Trade)1.01Rank 24 of 124
Economic Complexity (Technology)0.81Rank 29 of 96
Economic Complexity (Research)-0.73Rank 102 of 135

Comparison Map

Color

This section shows exports, imports and economic complexity data at the subnational level for China. Click any of the Subnational Level in the geomap to visit the specific subnational profile.

The top territories of China according to its Economic Complexity Index are Shanghai Province (0.38), Chongqing (0.38), and Beijing (0.36).

The principal exporters of China were Guangdong Province ($777B), Zhejiang Province ($503B), and Jiangsu Province ($482B).

The same year,  the principal importers of China were Beijing ($435B), Guangdong Province ($408B), and Shanghai Province ($352B).

Explore Subnational Data

Subscribe today to OEC pro and access the latest data

Sign Up

Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

China has a high level of specialization in Artificial Vegetation (5.78), Party Decorations (5.44), Vacuum Flask (5.26), Umbrellas (5.16), and Combs (5.05). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between China observed and expected exports in each product.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

The top export opportunities for China according to the relatedness index, were Jute Woven Fabric (0.58), Copper Foil (0.57), Other Edible Animal Products (0.56), Rubber Thread (0.56), and Copra (0.55). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that China is not specialized in.

Product Space

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

This network shows the products most related to the production structure of China. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that China exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

Filter
Depth

The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

Methodology
Scale

During the last 20 years China's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively more complex, moving from the ⁩⁨52nd to the 24th⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

Explore Rankings

ECI (Trade) Ranking by Country

Have questions, comments, or concerns?
Send us an e-mail: [email protected]
Follow @OECtoday on
Created, Designed, and Developed by:
In collaboration with