China vs Singapore
China vs Singapore: Government debt
Government debt: 98.6% of GDP in China in 2025 and 165.8% of GDP in Singapore in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Singapore, by 75.3 percentage points, or 1.83 times that in China.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Singapore has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1995.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts China at 122.1% of GDP and Singapore at 169.2% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | China | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98.6 | 165.7 |
| 2024 | 90.5 | 165.8 |
| 2023 | 84.1 | 170.4 |
| 2022 | 77.3 | 153.3 |
| 2021 | 72.1 | 139.9 |
| 2020 | 70.6 | 147.1 |
| 2019 | 59.9 | 127.7 |
| 2018 | 55.7 | 109.2 |
| 2017 | 53.7 | 107.3 |
| 2016 | 50 | 105.9 |
| 2015 | 40.9 | 102.1 |
| 2014 | 39.4 | 97.8 |
| 2013 | 36.6 | 98.2 |
| 2012 | 33.9 | 106.7 |
| 2011 | 33 | 103.1 |
| 2010 | 33.1 | 98.7 |
| 2009 | 33.9 | 101.7 |
| 2008 | 26.6 | 97.9 |
| 2007 | 28.8 | 87.8 |
| 2006 | 25.2 | 86.5 |
| 2005 | 26 | 92.7 |
| 2004 | 25.9 | 95.7 |
| 2003 | 26.4 | 99.1 |
| 2002 | 25.5 | 96.3 |
| 2001 | 24.2 | 94.5 |
| 2000 | 22.6 | 82.3 |
| 1999 | 21.6 | 85.3 |
| 1998 | 20.4 | 84.7 |
| 1997 | 20.4 | 70.8 |
| 1996 | 21.2 | 71.3 |
| 1995 | 21.4 | 69.8 |
| 1994 | – | 70.7 |
| 1993 | – | 71.2 |
| 1992 | – | 79 |
| 1991 | – | 76.4 |
| 1990 | – | 73.5 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | China | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 104.4 | 166.4 |
| 2027 | 109.1 | 167.1 |
| 2028 | 113.2 | 167.9 |
| 2029 | 116.4 | 168.5 |
| 2030 | 119.5 | 169 |
| 2031 | 122.1 | 169.2 |
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 Singapore
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Singapore: 83.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Singapore: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Singapore: 1.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Singapore: 3.44% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Singapore: 7.3 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Singapore: 5.79 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Singapore: 0.81% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Singapore: 0.94 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Singapore: 100% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Singapore: 35.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Singapore: 13.1% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Singapore: 4.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Singapore: 3.05% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Singapore: $16.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Singapore: $2,980 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Singapore: 18% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020Singapore: 59,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Singapore: 0.25% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Singapore: 1.72% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Singapore: 57 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Singapore: 79 million TIV in 2025