China vs Japan: GDP (current US$) (UNESCO Institute)
China
18.74 trillion current US$
in 2024
Japan
4.03 trillion current US$
in 2024
China rank
2nd
Japan rank
4th
GDP (current US$) (UNESCO Institute) over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
China currently reports 18.74 trillion current US$ against 4.03 trillion current US$ in Japan, a difference of 14.72 trillion current US$.
That makes China's figure about 4.7 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 55 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Japan ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 4th of 211 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 141.12 billion current US$ | 570.14 billion current US$ | 429.01 billion current US$ | Japan |
| 1980s | 263.09 billion current US$ | 1.85 trillion current US$ | 1.59 trillion current US$ | Japan |
| 1990s | 690.35 billion current US$ | 4.40 trillion current US$ | 3.71 trillion current US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 2.63 trillion current US$ | 4.73 trillion current US$ | 2.10 trillion current US$ | Japan |
| 2010s | 10.69 trillion current US$ | 5.29 trillion current US$ | 5.40 trillion current US$ | China |
| 2020s | 17.71 trillion current US$ | 4.52 trillion current US$ | 13.19 trillion current US$ | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher gdp, China or Japan?
- China, at 18.74 trillion current US$ against 4.03 trillion current US$ in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in gdp between China and Japan?
- 14.72 trillion current US$, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2024.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for gdp?
- China ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 4th of 211 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as GDP (current US$). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release