Total investment as a share of GDP in China 1980-2028

In 2022, China’s level of total investment reached around 43.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). This value is expected to decrease gradually to 41.7 percent until 2028. Final consumption accounted for only 53.2 percent in 2022.

International comparison of total investments

The GDP of a country can be calculated by the expenditure approach, which sums up final consumption (private and public), total investment, and net exports. The ratio of consumption to investment may vary greatly between different countries.

Matured economies normally consume a larger share of their economic output. In the U.S. and many European countries, total investment ranges roughly at only 20 to 25 percent of the GDP. In comparison, some emerging economies reached levels of 30 to 40 percent of investment during times of rapid economic development.

Level of total investment in China

China is among the countries that spend the highest share of their GDP on investments. Between 1980 and 2000, 30 to 40 percent of its economic output were invested, roughly on par with South Korea or Japan. While the latter’s investment spending ratio decreased in later years, China’s even grew, especially after the global financial crisis, peaking at staggering 47 percent of GDP in 2011.

However, returns on those investments declined year by year, indicated by lower GDP growth rates. This resulted in a quickly growing debt burden, which reached nearly 300 percent of the GDP in 2022, up from only 139 percent in 2008. The Chinese government defined the goal to shift to consumption driven growth, but the transformation takes longer than expected.