Net foreign assets in China
China: Net foreign assets was 30.27 trillion current LCU in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Net foreign assets in China, 1977–2024
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
In 2024, net foreign assets in China stood at 30.27 trillion current LCU. That is the highest value across all 48 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.6% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net foreign assets in China peaked at 30.27 trillion current LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, -2.78 billion current LCU, in 1980.
That places China 17th out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Net foreign assets in China, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 2.41 billion current LCU | — |
| 1978 | 540.00 million current LCU | -77.6% |
| 1979 | -1.64 billion current LCU | -403.7% |
| 1980 | -2.78 billion current LCU | +69.5% |
| 1981 | 2.67 billion current LCU | -196.0% |
| 1982 | 16.14 billion current LCU | +504.5% |
| 1983 | 23.95 billion current LCU | +48.4% |
| 1984 | 27.03 billion current LCU | +12.9% |
| 1985 | 42.32 billion current LCU | +56.6% |
| 1986 | 40.74 billion current LCU | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 65.75 billion current LCU | +61.4% |
| 1988 | 76.03 billion current LCU | +15.6% |
| 1989 | 88.91 billion current LCU | +16.9% |
| 1990 | 169.23 billion current LCU | +90.3% |
| 1991 | 251.97 billion current LCU | +48.9% |
| 1992 | 278.22 billion current LCU | +10.4% |
| 1993 | 220.40 billion current LCU | -20.8% |
| 1994 | 503.53 billion current LCU | +128.5% |
| 1995 | 635.58 billion current LCU | +26.2% |
| 1996 | 917.46 billion current LCU | +44.4% |
| 1997 | 1.36 trillion current LCU | +48.6% |
| 1998 | 1.50 trillion current LCU | +10.1% |
| 1999 | 1.70 trillion current LCU | +13.2% |
| 2000 | 2.01 trillion current LCU | +18.2% |
| 2001 | 2.64 trillion current LCU | +31.4% |
| 2002 | 3.17 trillion current LCU | +20.1% |
| 2003 | 3.77 trillion current LCU | +18.9% |
| 2004 | 5.53 trillion current LCU | +46.7% |
| 2005 | 7.57 trillion current LCU | +36.8% |
| 2006 | 10.08 trillion current LCU | +33.3% |
| 2007 | 13.77 trillion current LCU | +36.6% |
| 2008 | 17.89 trillion current LCU | +29.9% |
| 2009 | 19.56 trillion current LCU | +9.3% |
| 2010 | 22.53 trillion current LCU | +15.2% |
| 2011 | 25.10 trillion current LCU | +11.4% |
| 2012 | 25.82 trillion current LCU | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 28.03 trillion current LCU | +8.6% |
| 2014 | 28.78 trillion current LCU | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 28.00 trillion current LCU | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 26.33 trillion current LCU | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 25.26 trillion current LCU | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 25.51 trillion current LCU | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 26.39 trillion current LCU | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 26.89 trillion current LCU | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 27.98 trillion current LCU | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 28.58 trillion current LCU | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 28.94 trillion current LCU | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 30.27 trillion current LCU | +4.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 30.27 trillion current LCU is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 276.97 billion current LCU, 109.3× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 30.27 trillion current LCU is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 348.82 billion current LCU, 86.8× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Net foreign assets 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 | +504.5% | 2.67 billion current LCU | 16.14 billion current LCU |
| 1979 | -403.7% | 540.00 million current LCU | -1.64 billion current LCU |
| 1981 | +196.0% | -2.78 billion current LCU | 2.67 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 436.67 million current LCU | -1.64 billion current LCU | 2.41 billion current LCU | 3 |
| 1980s | 38.08 billion current LCU | -2.78 billion current LCU | 88.91 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | 754.14 billion current LCU | 169.23 billion current LCU | 1.70 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.60 trillion current LCU | 2.01 trillion current LCU | 19.56 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.18 trillion current LCU | 22.53 trillion current LCU | 28.78 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.53 trillion current LCU | 26.89 trillion current LCU | 30.27 trillion current LCU | 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 net foreign assets in China?
- Net foreign assets in China was 30.27 trillion current LCU in 2024, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest net foreign assets recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 30.27 trillion current LCU in 2024.
- What is the lowest net foreign assets recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.78 billion current LCU in 1980.
- How does China rank for net foreign assets?
- China ranks 17th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is net foreign assets rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net foreign assets (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.