China vs Japan: Reserve assets
China
3.74 trillion US dollar
in 2025
Japan
1.37 trillion US dollar
in 2025
China rank
1st
Japan rank
3rd
Reserve assets over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 3.74 trillion US dollar against 1.37 trillion US dollar in Japan, a difference of 2.38 trillion US dollar.
That makes China's figure about 2.7 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 22 shared years of data; in 2004 it was Japan ahead.
China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 3rd of 173 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.42 trillion US dollar | 937.24 billion US dollar | 478.06 billion US dollar | China |
| 2010s | 3.35 trillion US dollar | 1.25 trillion US dollar | 2.10 trillion US dollar | China |
| 2020s | 3.46 trillion US dollar | 1.32 trillion US dollar | 2.14 trillion US dollar | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher reserve assets, China or Japan?
- China, at 3.74 trillion US dollar against 1.37 trillion US dollar in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in reserve assets between China and Japan?
- 2.38 trillion US dollar, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2025.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for reserve assets?
- China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 3rd of 173 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund, published as Reserve assets (Assets, Positions, US dollar). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The International Investment Position (IIP) is a statistical statement that shows at a point in time the value of financial assets of residents of an economy that are claims on nonresidents or are gold bullion held as reserve assets; and the liabilities of residents of an economy to nonresidents.