China vs World: Total reserves in months of imports
Total reserves in months of imports over time
- China
- World
How they compare
China currently reports 11.94 against 8.89 in World, a difference of 3.05.
That makes China's figure about 1.3 times World's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 44 shared years of data; in 1982 it was China ahead.
China ranks 13th and World ranks 15th of 179 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.34 | 5.23 | 2.1 | China |
| 1990s | 8.97 | 5.02 | 3.96 | China |
| 2000s | 15.54 | 9.87 | 5.67 | China |
| 2010s | 17.54 | 12.69 | 4.85 | China |
| 2020s | 11.9 | 10.03 | 1.88 | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total reserves in months of imports, China or World?
- China, at 11.94 against 8.89 in World as of 2025.
- What is the difference in total reserves in months of imports between China and World?
- 3.05, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and World?
- 44 years are reported by both, from 1982 to 2025.
- How do China and World rank globally for total reserves in months of imports?
- China ranks 13th and World ranks 15th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Total reserves in months of imports. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This item is expressed in terms of the number of months of imports of goods and services they could pay for [X/(Imports/12)].