Country export capability

China
export capability

A reported view of China's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

CHN1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest exports$3.5T2024 reported value
Latest imports$2.3T2024 reported value
Trade balance$1.2TExports minus imports
Export growth+6%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

China export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, China recorded $3.5T in exports and $2.3T in imports. The resulting $1.2T trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed +6% year on year and show a calculated +2.8% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands received $453.7B in reported exports, representing 12.9% of the latest country total. Electrical machinery was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $1.0T and 28.6% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1995 through 2024, with 30 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around China's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$18.7T2024 macro context
GDP per capita$13.3KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population1.4BReported population
Labor force787.8KReported labor force
Investment rate44.5%National investment rate
Savings rate45.8%National savings rate
Trade openness34.6%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP20.8%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education84.8%Education context
Tertiary education7.9%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for China
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAHigh attention75.5%26%4.7%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
JapanJPNCritical attention81.5%26%1.9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
Republic of KoreaKORCritical attention73.9%23.3%14.2%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKGHigh attention88.4%25.3%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
NetherlandsNLDCritical attention81.9%35%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
GermanyDEUHigh attention65%21.1%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
Viet NamVNMHigh attention84.7%12.9%15.3%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
RussiaRUSHigh attention93.8%14%6.7%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
IndiaINDHigh attention76.3%11.1%53.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
MexicoMEXHigh attention89.6%11%13.6%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for China
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1ChinaHS6 260111 · Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$111.0B$119.1B0%Accelerating -2.6%
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$115.5B0%Slowing +1.1%
3ChinaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$291.6B$98.7B0%Accelerating -6.7%
4IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$72.9B0%Stable -0.5%
5ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$64.7B10.9%Accelerating +10.5%
6ChinaHS6 120190 · Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken$47.8B$62.4B0%Growing -13.5%
7ChinaHS6 710812 · Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)$80.8B$60.6B2.7%Accelerating +2.4%
8ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$49.9B9.1%Accelerating +4%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for China.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for China
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
18517HS4 detail codeElectrical machinery (85) ↗$294.3B8.4%7
28542HS4 detail codeElectrical machinery (85) ↗$174.2B5%5
38471HS4 detail codeMachinery (84) ↗$167.6B4.8%8
48703HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$89.5B2.5%14
58507HS4 detail codeElectrical machinery (85) ↗$70.6B2%7
68708HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$53.7B1.5%14
78541HS4 detail codeElectrical machinery (85) ↗$49.5B1.4%7
88504HS4 detail codeElectrical machinery (85) ↗$47.6B1.4%11
98473HS4 detail codeMachinery (84) ↗$39.9B1.1%5
109503HS4 detail codeToys and sports equipment (95) ↗$39.7B1.1%1
112710HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$37.2B1.1%5
128528HS4 detail codeElectrical machinery (85) ↗$36.1B1%9

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

China combines $3.5T in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, China recorded $3.5T in reported exports and $2.3T in imports, producing a reported trade surplus of $1.2T. Exports changed +6% year on year and +2.8% annualized over three years. Electrical machinery (HS2 85) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where China exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for China
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$453.7B12.9%+3.9%-4%
2China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$174.3B5%+5.3%-2%
3JapanJPN$156.6B4.5%-2.3%-3.3%
4Viet NamVNM$148.4B4.2%+16.1%+5.2%
5Republic of KoreaKOR$142.0B4%-2.4%+0.1%
6GermanyDEU$138.4B3.9%+0.2%-0.2%
7IndiaIND$124.3B3.5%+3.3%+11%
8MexicoMEX$114.6B3.3%+12.3%+8.7%
9RussiaRUS$114.6B3.3%+2%+18.4%
10United KingdomGBR$92.8B2.6%+3.1%+2.6%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$2.2T
2014
$2.4T
2015
$2.3T
2016
$2.2T
2017
$2.4T
2018
$2.6T
2019
$2.5T
2020
$2.6T
2021
$3.2T
2022
$3.5T
2023
$3.3T
2024
$3.5T

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets27Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners18Country context
Shared-language partners6Country context
Average partner distance9,547 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA10%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share75.6%

Covered value under attention

Critical share7%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak19.7%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports29.1%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0.1%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend resilient

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score5

History-based indicator

Partner concentration370.3

Partner HHI

Product concentration74.2

Product HHI

Country attention level: High attention. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3CHN
Exports Usd$3.5T
Imports Usd$2.3T
Trade Balance Usd$1.2T
Yoy Exports Growth Pct6%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct-0.3%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct2.8%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct-1.3%
Export Partner Hhi370.3
Export Product Hhi74.2
Momentum Score5
Risk Score2.2
Gdp Million Usd18,743,803.17 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$13.3K
Population1,408,975,000
Labor Force787,768.5
Investment Rate Pct44.5%
Savings Rate Pct45.8%
Secondary Education Pct84.8%
Tertiary Education Pct7.9%
Total Factor Productivity753
Trade Openness Pct34.6%
Exports Gdp Pct20.8%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners27
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners18
Num Shared Language Partners6
Avg Partner Distance Km9,547 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta10
Pct Partners Shared Language2
Pct Partners Shared Border7
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km9,200
Num Border Partners405
Num Colonial Partners20
Avg Substitution Elasticity-10.9
Pct Products High Elasticity76
Pct Products Low Elasticity3
Real Market Potential469,092.8
Foreign Market Potential10,340.4

Exposure fields

Country Iso3CHN
All History Lane Count106,412
Current Lane Count103,145
Critical Lane Count4,324
High Attention Lane Count50,639
High Volatility Lane Count56,763
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count31,574
Declining Demand Lane Count536
Concentrated Market Lane Count56,756
Access Friction Lane Count42,921
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count7,384
Monitored Exports Current Usd$3.3T
Attention Exports Usd$2.5T
Critical Exports Usd$230.8B
High Volatility Exports Usd$1.7T
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$405.0B
Non Fta Exports Usd$2.3T
Monitored Attention Share Pct75.6%
Monitored Critical Share Pct7%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct29.1%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct19.7%
Export Weighted Distance Km6,780 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$3.5T
Total Imports Latest Usd$2.3T
Trade Balance Latest Usd$1.2T
Exports Yoy Latest Pct6%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct2.8%
Gdp Latest Million Usd18,743,803.17 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$13.3K
Population Latest1,408,975,000
Investment Rate Latest Pct44.5%
Savings Rate Latest Pct45.8%
Trade Openness Latest Pct34.6%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct20.8%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest27
Foreign Market Potential Latest10,340.4
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct5.2%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct5.2%
Population 5y Cagr Pct0%
Partner Hhi Latest370.3
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct12.9%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct22.3%
Partner Hhi All Avg778.3
Partner Hhi All Max1,343.7
Product Hhi Latest74.2
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct5.8%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct10.7%
Product Hhi All Avg68.2
Product Hhi All Max90.2
Total Exports Attention Share Pct71.4%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct6.6%
Attention LevelHigh attention
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1995$178.6B$130.6B$48.0BNot reportedNot reported
1996$190.3B$137.7B$52.6B+6.5%Not reported
1997$219.7B$142.9B$76.7B+15.4%Not reported
1998$222.3B$137.0B$85.3B+1.2%+7.6%
1999$246.6B$154.8B$91.8B+10.9%+9%
2000$312.4B$207.5B$104.9B+26.7%+12.5%
2001$327.5B$221.8B$105.7B+4.8%+13.8%
2002$394.6B$269.8B$124.8B+20.5%+17%
2003$510.2B$376.3B$133.9B+29.3%+17.8%
2004$680.8B$501.3B$179.5B+33.4%+27.6%
2005$860.4B$590.7B$269.7B+26.4%+29.7%
2006$1.1T$712.6B$356.8B+24.3%+28%
2007$1.3T$856.6B$461.5B+23.3%+24.6%
2008$1.5T$1.0T$521.8B+16.2%+21.2%
2009$1.3T$917.2B$381.4B-15.2%+6.7%
2010$1.7T$1.3T$410.2B+29.2%+8.4%
2011$2.0T$1.6T$381.8B+17.4%+8.7%
2012$2.1T$1.7T$443.5B+6.5%+17.3%
2013$2.2T$1.8T$435.7B+5.1%+9.5%
2014$2.4T$1.8T$590.1B+6.7%+6.1%
2015$2.3T$1.5T$792.9B-2.4%+3%
2016$2.2T$1.4T$718.2B-5.6%-0.6%
2017$2.4T$1.7T$657.8B+8.6%+0%
2018$2.6T$1.9T$618.5B+8.8%+3.7%
2019$2.5T$1.9T$635.1B-1.3%+5.3%
2020$2.6T$1.9T$675.0B+1.2%+2.8%
2021$3.2T$2.4T$819.8B+26.7%+8.2%
2022$3.5T$2.4T$1.1T+9.3%+11.9%
2023$3.3T$2.3T$981.6B-6.4%+9%
2024$3.5T$2.3T$1.2T+6%+2.8%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
185Electrical machinery$1.0T28.6%200262
284Machinery$585.4B16.7%200515
387Vehicles$208.1B5.9%20087
439Plastics$135.0B3.8%200129
594Furniture and lighting$112.0B3.2%20042
673Articles of iron or steel$98.6B2.8%200124
729Organic chemicals$90.6B2.6%196384
895Toys and sports equipment$84.1B2.4%20031
961Knitted clothing$78.5B2.2%200106
1090Optical and medical instruments$77.0B2.2%200142

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
18517Electrical machinery (85)$294.3B8.4%7
28542Electrical machinery (85)$174.2B5%5
38471Machinery (84)$167.6B4.8%8
48703Vehicles (87)$89.5B2.5%14
58507Electrical machinery (85)$70.6B2%7
68708Vehicles (87)$53.7B1.5%14
78541Electrical machinery (85)$49.5B1.4%7
88504Electrical machinery (85)$47.6B1.4%11
98473Machinery (84)$39.9B1.1%5
109503Toys and sports equipment (95)$39.7B1.1%1
112710Mineral fuels (27)$37.2B1.1%5
128528Electrical machinery (85)$36.1B1%9

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$453.7B12.9%+3.9%-4%
2China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$174.3B5%+5.3%-2%
3JapanJPN$156.6B4.5%-2.3%-3.3%
4Viet NamVNM$148.4B4.2%+16.1%+5.2%
5Republic of KoreaKOR$142.0B4%-2.4%+0.1%
6GermanyDEU$138.4B3.9%+0.2%-0.2%
7IndiaIND$124.3B3.5%+3.3%+11%
8MexicoMEX$114.6B3.3%+12.3%+8.7%
9RussiaRUS$114.6B3.3%+2%+18.4%
10United KingdomGBR$92.8B2.6%+3.1%+2.6%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)High attention75.5%26%4.7%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
2Japan (JPN)Critical attention81.5%26%1.9%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
3Republic of Korea (KOR)Critical attention73.9%23.3%14.2%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
4China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKG)High attention88.4%25.3%0%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
5Netherlands (NLD)Critical attention81.9%35%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
6Germany (DEU)High attention65%21.1%2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
7Viet Nam (VNM)High attention84.7%12.9%15.3%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
8Russia (RUS)High attention93.8%14%6.7%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
9India (IND)High attention76.3%11.1%53.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
10Mexico (MEX)High attention89.6%11%13.6%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Afghanistan (AFG)722611new$282.2K100%100
2Afghanistan (AFG)841932new$250.0K100%100
3Afghanistan (AFG)901310new$312.7K100%100
4Afghanistan (AFG)901120new$186.8K100%100
5Afghanistan (AFG)540824new$218.9K52.4%100
6Afghanistan (AFG)551319new$754.0K100%100
7Afghanistan (AFG)551449new$482.2K100%100
8Aruba (ABW)870360new$308.8K43.2%100
9Benin (BEN)293040new$462.8K80.6%100
10Angola (AGO)870360new$419.2K27.8%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1China (CHN)260111$111.0B$119.1B0%Accelerating (-2.6%)
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$115.5B0%Slowing (+1.1%)
3China (CHN)270900$291.6B$98.7B0%Accelerating (-6.7%)
4India (IND)270900$130.1B$72.9B0%Stable (-0.5%)
5China (CHN)854231$158.0B$64.7B10.9%Accelerating (+10.5%)
6China (CHN)120190$47.8B$62.4B0%Growing (-13.5%)
7China (CHN)710812$80.8B$60.6B2.7%Accelerating (+2.4%)
8China (CHN)854239$81.8B$49.9B9.1%Accelerating (+4%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1995 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

China export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the China export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for China.

What is the latest reported export value for China?

China recorded $3.5T in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from China?

USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands leads by reported export value at $453.7B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead China's exports?

Electrical machinery leads by reported value at $1.0T. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of China trade history are available?

This sample contains 30 observed annual rows covering 1995 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and routes using the available trade evidence and definitions.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.