Bangladesh vs China
Bangladesh vs China: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 42% of GDP in Bangladesh and 98.6% of GDP in China, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 56.6 percentage points, or 2.35 times that in Bangladesh.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- China has been higher since 2009, when it overtook Bangladesh.
- In 2025, Bangladesh ranked 98 and China ranked 17 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Bangladesh at 49.4% of GDP and China at 122.1% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Bangladesh | China |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 42 | 98.6 |
| 2024 | 41 | 90.5 |
| 2023 | 39.7 | 84.1 |
| 2022 | 37.9 | 77.3 |
| 2021 | 35.6 | 72.1 |
| 2020 | 34.5 | 70.6 |
| 2019 | 32 | 59.9 |
| 2018 | 29.6 | 55.7 |
| 2017 | 28.3 | 53.7 |
| 2016 | 27.7 | 50 |
| 2015 | 28.2 | 40.9 |
| 2014 | 28.7 | 39.4 |
| 2013 | 28.3 | 36.6 |
| 2012 | 29.1 | 33.9 |
| 2011 | 29.4 | 33 |
| 2010 | 29.6 | 33.1 |
| 2009 | 33 | 33.9 |
| 2008 | 33.9 | 26.6 |
| 2007 | 35 | 28.8 |
| 2006 | 35.3 | 25.2 |
| 2005 | 35.6 | 26 |
| 2004 | 36.6 | 25.9 |
| 2003 | 37 | 26.4 |
| 2002 | – | 25.5 |
| 2001 | – | 24.2 |
| 2000 | – | 22.6 |
| 1999 | – | 21.6 |
| 1998 | – | 20.4 |
| 1997 | – | 20.4 |
| 1996 | – | 21.2 |
| 1995 | – | 21.4 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Bangladesh | China |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40.5 | 104.4 |
| 2027 | 40.4 | 109.1 |
| 2028 | 42.8 | 113.2 |
| 2029 | 45.5 | 116.4 |
| 2030 | 47.6 | 119.5 |
| 2031 | 49.4 | 122.1 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Bangladesh vs China
Health
- Life expectancyBangladesh: 74.7 years in 2023China: 78 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBangladesh: 3.1 per 100 live births in 2024China: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBangladesh: 22.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023China: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBangladesh: 4.11% in 2017China: 3.31% in 2017
- Suicide rateBangladesh: 6 per 100,000 people in 2017China: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBangladesh: 172 million people in 2023China: 1.42 billion people in 2023
- Population growthBangladesh: 1.21% a year in 2023China: -0.24% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBangladesh: 2.16 births per woman in 2023China: 1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBangladesh: 33.2% in 2025China: 66.3% in 2025
- Median ageBangladesh: 25.3 years in 2023China: 39.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBangladesh: 6.3% in 2023China: 14.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateBangladesh: -3.2 per 1,000 people in 2023China: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBangladesh: 0.81% of GDP in 2025China: 1.73% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBangladesh: $3.67B in 2025China: $335B in 2025
- Military spending per personBangladesh: $22 in 2025China: $237 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBangladesh: 7.1% of government spending in 2025China: 5.1% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBangladesh: 227,000 people in 2020China: 2.54 million people in 2020
- National powerBangladesh: 1.01% of world capability in 2022China: 23.41% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBangladesh: 0.32% of the labour force in 2020China: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBangladesh: 32 million TIV in 2025China: 207 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsBangladesh: 2 million TIV in 1984China: 880 million TIV in 2025