Lending interest rate in China
China: Lending interest rate was 4.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Lending interest rate in China, 1980–2024
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, lending interest rate in China stood at 4.3%. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lending interest rate in China peaked at 12.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2015.
That places China 134th out of 149 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Lending interest rate in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.0% | — |
| 1981 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 7.2% | +42.9% |
| 1983 | 7.2% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 7.2% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 7.9% | +10.0% |
| 1986 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 9.0% | +13.6% |
| 1989 | 11.3% | +26.0% |
| 1990 | 9.4% | -17.5% |
| 1991 | 8.6% | -7.7% |
| 1992 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 11.0% | +27.1% |
| 1994 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 12.1% | +9.8% |
| 1996 | 10.1% | -16.4% |
| 1997 | 8.6% | -14.3% |
| 1998 | 6.4% | -26.0% |
| 1999 | 5.8% | -8.5% |
| 2000 | 5.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | -9.2% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5.6% | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6.1% | +9.7% |
| 2007 | 7.5% | +22.1% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | -28.9% |
| 2009 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5.8% | +9.4% |
| 2011 | 6.6% | +12.9% |
| 2012 | 6.0% | -8.5% |
| 2013 | 6.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5.6% | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | -22.3% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 4.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.8%, 50% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- China's 4.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.5%, 79% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Lending interest rate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +42.9% | 5.0% | 7.2% |
| 2008 | -28.9% | 7.5% | 5.3% |
| 1993 | +27.1% | 8.6% | 11.0% |
| 1989 | +26.0% | 9.0% | 11.3% |
| 1998 | -26.0% | 8.6% | 6.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.6% | 5.0% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.2% | 5.8% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 5.3% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.2% | 4.3% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 5 |
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 lending interest rate in China?
- Lending interest rate in China was 4.3% in 2024, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest lending interest rate recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 12.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest lending interest rate recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2015.
- How does China rank for lending interest rate?
- China ranks 134th out of 149 countries with data for 2024.
- Is lending interest rate rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Lending interest rate (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Lending rate is the bank rate that usually meets the short- and medium-term financing needs of the private sector. This rate is normally differentiated according to creditworthiness of borrowers and objectives of financing. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.