Bank concentration in China
China: Bank concentration was 38.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Bank concentration in China, 2000–2021
Source: Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD). Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, bank concentration in China stood at 38.3%.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 28.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank concentration in China peaked at 99.9% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 34.3%, in 2000.
That places China 164th out of 170 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Bank concentration in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 34.3% | — |
| 2001 | 46.2% | +34.9% |
| 2002 | 42.2% | -8.6% |
| 2003 | 69.6% | +65.0% |
| 2004 | 73.5% | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 70.3% | -4.4% |
| 2006 | 74.9% | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 71.0% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 72.7% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 69.0% | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 59.5% | -13.7% |
| 2011 | 53.4% | -10.3% |
| 2012 | 99.9% | +87.2% |
| 2013 | 99.9% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 40.6% | -59.4% |
| 2015 | 40.6% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 39.3% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 37.9% | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 37.7% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 37.9% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 38.5% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 38.3% | -0.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 38.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 70.5%, 54% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- China's 38.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.7%, 68% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Bank concentration in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +87.2% | 53.4% | 99.9% |
| 2003 | +65.0% | 42.2% | 69.6% |
| 2014 | -59.4% | 99.9% | 40.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 62.4% | 34.3% | 74.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.7% | 37.7% | 99.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.4% | 38.3% | 38.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More financial sector data for China
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 14.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 7.95 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 9.09 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 5.8 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 14.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 7.95 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 9.09 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bank concentration in China?
- Bank concentration in China was 38.3% in 2021, according to Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD).
- What is the highest bank concentration recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2012.
- What is the lowest bank concentration recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.3% in 2000.
- How does China rank for bank concentration?
- China ranks 164th out of 170 countries with data for 2021.
- Is bank concentration rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD), published as part of Bank concentration (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Raw data are from Bankscope. (Sum(data2025) for three largest banks in Bankscope) / (Sum(data2025) for all banks in Bankscope). Only reported if number of banks in Bankscope is 3 or more. Calculated from underlying bank-by-bank unconsolidated data from Bankscope.