China vs Japan: Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange
China
2.45 trillion SDR
in 2025
Japan
861.99 billion SDR
in 2025
China rank
1st
Japan rank
2nd
Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 2.45 trillion SDR against 861.99 billion SDR in Japan, a difference of 1.59 trillion SDR.
That makes China's figure about 2.8 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 49 shared years of data; in 1977 it was Japan ahead.
China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 2nd of 194 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Japan in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.59 billion SDR | 17.06 billion SDR | 15.47 billion SDR | Japan |
| 1980s | 10.30 billion SDR | 32.88 billion SDR | 22.57 billion SDR | Japan |
| 1990s | 55.67 billion SDR | 104.14 billion SDR | 48.47 billion SDR | Japan |
| 2000s | 621.33 billion SDR | 492.63 billion SDR | 128.70 billion SDR | China |
| 2010s | 2.25 trillion SDR | 818.95 billion SDR | 1.43 trillion SDR | China |
| 2020s | 2.37 trillion SDR | 872.17 billion SDR | 1.50 trillion SDR | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange, China or Japan?
- China, at 2.45 trillion SDR against 861.99 billion SDR in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange between China and Japan?
- 1.59 trillion SDR, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2025.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange?
- China ranks 1st and Japan ranks 2nd of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund, published as Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange (SDR). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
International liquidity consists of all the resources that are available to the monetary authorities of countries for the purpose of meeting balance of payments financing needs.