China vs India
China vs India: Government debt
Government debt: 98.6% of GDP in China in 2025 and 84.8% of GDP in India in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in China, by 5.7 percentage points, or 1.07 times that in India.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- China has been higher since 2024, when it overtook India.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts China at 122.1% of GDP and India at 75.1% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98.6 | 84.3 |
| 2024 | 90.5 | 84.8 |
| 2023 | 84.1 | 84.8 |
| 2022 | 77.3 | 84.4 |
| 2021 | 72.1 | 85.5 |
| 2020 | 70.6 | 90.4 |
| 2019 | 59.9 | 76.5 |
| 2018 | 55.7 | 71.6 |
| 2017 | 53.7 | 70.7 |
| 2016 | 50 | 69.8 |
| 2015 | 40.9 | 69.7 |
| 2014 | 39.4 | 67.6 |
| 2013 | 36.6 | 68 |
| 2012 | 33.9 | 68.1 |
| 2011 | 33 | 68.7 |
| 2010 | 33.1 | 67.7 |
| 2009 | 33.9 | 72.7 |
| 2008 | 26.6 | 74.3 |
| 2007 | 28.8 | 75.4 |
| 2006 | 25.2 | 77.9 |
| 2005 | 26 | 82.4 |
| 2004 | 25.9 | 84.9 |
| 2003 | 26.4 | 85.9 |
| 2002 | 25.5 | 84.3 |
| 2001 | 24.2 | 80.1 |
| 2000 | 22.6 | 74.9 |
| 1999 | 21.6 | 71.3 |
| 1998 | 20.4 | 69.3 |
| 1997 | 20.4 | 69 |
| 1996 | 21.2 | 67.1 |
| 1995 | 21.4 | 70.9 |
| 1994 | – | 74.8 |
| 1993 | – | 78.3 |
| 1992 | – | 78.8 |
| 1991 | – | 76.7 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 104.4 | 83.1 |
| 2027 | 109.1 | 81.3 |
| 2028 | 113.2 | 79.9 |
| 2029 | 116.4 | 78.4 |
| 2030 | 119.5 | 77 |
| 2031 | 122.1 | 75.1 |
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
China vs India
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023India: 72 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024India: 2.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023India: 22.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017India: 3.53% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017India: 15.6 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023India: 1.44 billion people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023India: 0.89% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023India: 1.98 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025India: 35.7% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023India: 28.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023India: 6.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023India: -0.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025India: 2.3% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025India: $93.3B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025India: $63 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025India: 8.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020India: 3.07 million people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022India: 9.94% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020India: 0.58% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025India: 2.86 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025India: 81 million TIV in 2025