China vs Iran
China vs Iran: Government debt
Government debt: 98.6% of GDP in China in 2025 and 31.2% of GDP in Iran in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in China, by 59.3 percentage points, or 2.9 times that in Iran.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- China has been higher since 2000, when it overtook Iran.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts China at 122.1% of GDP and Iran at 43.4% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | China | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98.6 | 35.6 |
| 2024 | 90.5 | 31.2 |
| 2023 | 84.1 | 29.6 |
| 2022 | 77.3 | 34.5 |
| 2021 | 72.1 | 39.9 |
| 2020 | 70.6 | 47.1 |
| 2019 | 59.9 | 44.6 |
| 2018 | 55.7 | 41.6 |
| 2017 | 53.7 | 43.2 |
| 2016 | 50 | 46 |
| 2015 | 40.9 | 32.1 |
| 2014 | 39.4 | 10.9 |
| 2013 | 36.6 | 10.2 |
| 2012 | 33.9 | 11.8 |
| 2011 | 33 | 10.6 |
| 2010 | 33.1 | 12.8 |
| 2009 | 33.9 | 11.5 |
| 2008 | 26.6 | 10.6 |
| 2007 | 28.8 | 13.5 |
| 2006 | 25.2 | 15.2 |
| 2005 | 26 | 18.3 |
| 2004 | 25.9 | 21.1 |
| 2003 | 26.4 | 22 |
| 2002 | 25.5 | 23.4 |
| 2001 | 24.2 | 21 |
| 2000 | 22.6 | 18.2 |
| 1999 | 21.6 | 22.2 |
| 1998 | 20.4 | 29.6 |
| 1997 | 20.4 | 30.9 |
| 1996 | 21.2 | 29.3 |
| 1995 | 21.4 | – |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | China | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 104.4 | 39.1 |
| 2027 | 109.1 | 40.2 |
| 2028 | 113.2 | 40.8 |
| 2029 | 116.4 | 41.7 |
| 2030 | 119.5 | 42.7 |
| 2031 | 122.1 | 43.4 |
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 Iran
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Iran: 77.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Iran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Iran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Iran: 5.12% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Iran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Iran: 90.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Iran: 1.12% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Iran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Iran: 77.4% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Iran: 32.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Iran: 7.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Iran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Iran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Iran: $7.45B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Iran: $80 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Iran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020Iran: 650,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Iran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Iran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Iran: 42 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Iran: 80 million TIV in 2025