The US economy is larger by nominal GDP ($27.4T vs $17.9T), but China's economy grows faster (5.2% vs 2.8% annually) and leads in manufacturing output and exports. The US maintains advantages in per-capita income, technological innovation, and financial markets, while China relies more heavily on exports and faces demographic challenges.
China's Economy vs US Economy — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
World's largest nominal GDP with advanced services sector and highest per capita income.
World's second-largest economy with rapid growth, manufacturing dominance, and massive foreign reserves.
Nominal GDP (2024). GDP Growth Rate (2024). GDP Per Capita (2024). Global Manufacturing Share. Total Exports (2024). Fortune 500 Companies. Stock Market Capitalization
The US economy remains the world's largest and most developed by absolute size and per-capita metrics, with superior financial markets and innovation ecosystems. However, China's economy grows significantly faster and dominates in manufacturing and export volume. Choose the US economy as a benchmark for developed-market stability, consumer wealth, and technology leadership; choose China's economy for understanding the fastest-growing major economy and global manufacturing dependency.
United States Economy: $30.0-30.5 trillion | China's Economy: ~$31.7 trillion
United States Economy: 17% | China's Economy: 70%
United States Economy: ~6% | China's Economy: 94%
United States Economy: ~16% | China's Economy: 35%
United States Economy: ~3.8-4.0% | China's Economy: ~4.1%
Advanced Semiconductor Market Leadership
United States Economy: Dominant (Intel, TSMC partnership, Samsung); controls cutting-edge nodes | China's Economy: Limited by US export controls; dependent on SMIC/HiSilicon
United States Economy: 20-25% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: Global leader in design and manufacturing | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: Moderate exposure | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.2% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $925.8 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $4.18 trillion (2024) | China's Economy: $620 billion (2023)
United States Economy: 0.3-0.5% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 30.0+ | China's Economy: ~27-28 trillion
United States Economy: $4,175 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $4,481 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: ~20% | China's Economy: 70%
United States Economy: 6% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: Leading edge (3nm and below) | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: Minimal negative impact | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: ~10% | China's Economy: 80%+ of global output
United States Economy: Leading in design and manufacturing | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: Minimal (exporter advantage) | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.0-2.5% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: €925.8 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.0-2.5% | China's Economy: 4.5-5.0%
United States Economy: 25-30% of global EVs | China's Economy: 70% of global EVs
United States Economy: 8-10% | China's Economy: 80%+
United States Economy: ~4.0% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $4,175,432 million (2024) | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: €925,796.8 million | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $89,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $10,266.8 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $925.8 | China's Economy: €296.5 billion
United States Economy: Global market leader | China's Economy: Limited by US export controls
United States Economy: Lower exposure | China's Economy: $400-800B potential loss
United States Economy: ~6% of global | China's Economy: 94% of global
United States Economy: Minimal | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 0.4-0.6% | China's Economy: N/A
Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Production
United States Economy: ~15% | China's Economy: 94%
United States Economy: $89,000+ | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 9% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 0.2-0.4pp | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 0.3-0.5% (from AI investment) | China's Economy: N/A
Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Production Share
United States Economy: 4% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 15% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 12% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $50-150B | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $31.5 trillion | China's Economy: $45.78 trillion
United States Economy: 2.1% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 1st | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 119% | China's Economy: 77%
United States Economy: 338M | China's Economy: 1,426 million
United States Economy: $809 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: AI, semiconductors, cloud, fintech | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $35,000-45,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $94,430 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $11.1 trillion ahead | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: Data not available | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: ~25-26% of global GDP | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 1st (maintained) | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: ~1.8% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 26.2% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: Not specified | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $28.0 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $85,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $27.4 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: €10,217,935.3 million | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $3,981 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 44.5 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: ~2.8% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 1 EUR = 1.1797 USD | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.0-2.4% | China's Economy: 4.6-4.8%
United States Economy: 2.0% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $96,500+ | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $11.53 trillion lead | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $27.23 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 122.27% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 37.74% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 3.5% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $81,500 | China's Economy: $12,720
United States Economy: 336 million | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.8% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 11.8% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 25.5% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 38.5 years | China's Economy: 38.6 years
United States Economy: $27.4 trillion | China's Economy: $17.8 trillion
United States Economy: 4.2% | China's Economy: 4.1%
United States Economy: 2.9% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $156 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 167 companies | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 11.2% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $27.4T | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $82,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $0.13T | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 4.1% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $15.2T (Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Tesla, Broadcom) | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 38.9 years | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $2.1 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $84,700 | China's Economy: $13,072
United States Economy: 2.5% | China's Economy: 5.2%
United States Economy: $2.4 trillion | China's Economy: $4.3 trillion
United States Economy: $285 billion (2023) | China's Economy: $163 billion (2023)
United States Economy: $82,500 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 123% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $62,400 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 339 million | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 65% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.5% | China's Economy: 5.0%
United States Economy: $76,398 | China's Economy: $12,556
United States Economy: $0.13 trillion | China's Economy: $3.3 trillion
United States Economy: 129% | China's Economy: 282%
United States Economy: 3.5% | China's Economy: 2.1%
United States Economy: 2.1% | China's Economy: 5.2%
United States Economy: $80,412 | China's Economy: $23,482
United States Economy: 16.3% | China's Economy: 42.8%
United States Economy: 123% | China's Economy: 77.8%
United States Economy: $12.8 trillion | China's Economy: $4.2 trillion
United States Economy: 340 million | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 21% of electricity | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $28.7T | China's Economy: $17.9 trillion
United States Economy: 135 companies | China's Economy: 143 companies
United States Economy: $33.2 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 11% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 80.1% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $285 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $31.2 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 16% | China's Economy: 28%
United States Economy: -$73 billion deficit | China's Economy: $631.8 billion surplus
United States Economy: 12% | China's Economy: 28%
United States Economy: 4.1% | China's Economy: 5.1%
United States Economy: -$773 billion (deficit) | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $2.3T | China's Economy: $2.1T
United States Economy: 2.5% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 11.5% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 130% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $820 billion | China's Economy: $230 billion
United States Economy: 714,000 | China's Economy: 1,224,000
United States Economy: 8.2% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.5% | China's Economy: 5.4% (2024 estimate)
United States Economy: -$73.1 billion | China's Economy: +$632 billion surplus
United States Economy: +0.4% (growing) | China's Economy: -1.6% (declining)
United States Economy: $27.9 trillion | China's Economy: $17.9 trillion
United States Economy: 11% | China's Economy: 28%
United States Economy: 123% | China's Economy: 280%
United States Economy: $68,420 | China's Economy: $11,000
United States Economy: 0.38 million | China's Economy: 1.67 million
United States Economy: 17% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 9.8% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $42.8 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 16% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $7.1 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 11.8% | China's Economy: 28.2%
Foreign Direct Investment Inflows (2024)
United States Economy: $269 billion | China's Economy: $163 billion
United States Economy: 63.0% | China's Economy: N/A
Tech Sector Market Capitalization (Top 7 Companies)
United States Economy: $14.2 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
Average Annual GDP Growth Rate (2010-2023)
United States Economy: 2.4% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $28.2 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 26% of world GDP | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $285 billion | China's Economy: $189 billion
United States Economy: 0.41 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 17.3% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: -$773 billion deficit | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 3.2% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 398,144 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $370 billion | China's Economy: $163.5 billion
United States Economy: 170 million workers | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $28.7 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $12.4 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 615,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.6% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $0.13 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $76,398 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 11.6% | China's Economy: 27%
United States Economy: 415,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $119 trillion | China's Economy: $14.2 trillion
United States Economy: $120,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $76,500 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 680 GW | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $27.4 trillion | China's Economy: $17.9 trillion
United States Economy: 2.7% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 32.4% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 16.9% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 21.6% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $2.9 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $28.7 trillion | China's Economy: $17-18 trillion
United States Economy: 18% | China's Economy: 27.3%
United States Economy: $12.5 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $32 trillion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 80% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 26% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $28.7 trillion | China's Economy: $17.9 trillion
United States Economy: 31% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $189 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 3.9% | China's Economy: 5.0%
United States Economy: 3.4% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 82% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 41.1 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $7.25 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $68.40 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $119 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $289B | China's Economy: N/A
Annual GDP Growth Rate (2020-2026 Average)
United States Economy: 195 companies | China's Economy: 88 companies
United States Economy: 2.8% | China's Economy: 5.0%
United States Economy: 38.7 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 285,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 18% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: $296.5 billion
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: 80%+
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: $6,177 billion
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: 4.6-4.8%
Government Education Spending Per Capita
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: €467
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: Constrained by US export controls
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: $12,720
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: $3.58 trillion
United States Economy: N/A | China's Economy: 38.4 years
How to choose between United States Economy and China's Economy
Compare United States Economy vs China's Economy
China's Economy vs US Economy — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for China's Economy vs US Economy. Contains 276 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
China's Economy vs US Economy — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for China's Economy vs US Economy.
Will China's economy surpass the US economy in nominal GDP?
At current growth rates (5.2% vs 2.8%), China's nominal GDP could theoretically surpass the US by 2050-2060 if trends continue. However, this is unlikely due to China's severe demographic challenges: working-age population is declining 0.5% annually, and median age is rising. The IMF projects China's growth will slow to 3.2% by 2030. Additionally, China's per-capita income would remain 80% lower than the US even at parity, indicating a smaller and less wealthy economy.
Why is China's economy growing faster than the US?
China grows faster due to three factors: (1) Lower baseline—China still has 15-20 years of catch-up growth potential as it develops middle-class sectors; (2) Government investment in infrastructure and industries; (3) Massive population providing labor and consumer growth. The US, already developed, grows at typical mature-economy rates of 2-3%. As China ages and exhausts catch-up opportunities, its growth rate is structurally slowing toward 3-4%.
How dependent are global supply chains on China?
China controls 28% of global manufacturing output and supplies 60-90% of certain products: 95% of rare earth minerals, 70% of smartphones, 80% of solar panels, and 60% of automotive components. However, diversification is accelerating—India, Vietnam, and Mexico are growing as alternatives. The US and EU aim to reduce China dependency to 50% by 2030, but complete decoupling is economically unfeasible given cost advantages and established infrastructure.
What is the debt situation in each economy?
US government debt is $33.2T (127% of GDP), among the highest developed-world ratios but manageable due to dollar dominance and 10-year borrowing rates around 4%. China's total debt (government, corporate, household) exceeds 280% of GDP, though most is internal and domestically held. China's corporate debt (160% of GDP) is particularly concerning, with zombie state-owned enterprises creating systemic risk. Both face debt sustainability challenges, but the US has more flexible currency and creditor advantages.
For stability and diversification: US (equity markets 5x larger, rule of law, transparent accounting). For growth exposure: China (higher upside, but higher political/regulatory risk). US Treasury bonds yield 4%, Chinese government bonds 2.5%, reflecting risk premium. Institutional investors overwhelmingly favor US markets ($48.5T vs $9.2T capitalization). China attracts foreign investment in manufacturing and EV sectors specifically, not broad portfolio investment.
How to Choose Between United States Economy and China's Economy
Nominal GDP (2024): United States Economy has $27.4 trillion, while China's Economy has $17.9 trillion.
GDP Growth Rate (2024): United States Economy has 2.8% annually, while China's Economy has 5.2% annually.
GDP Per Capita (2024): United States Economy has $76,398, while China's Economy has $13,072.
Global Manufacturing Share: United States Economy has 12%, while China's Economy has 28%.
Total Exports (2024): United States Economy has $2.3 trillion, while China's Economy has $2.1 trillion.
Fortune 500 Companies: United States Economy has 136 companies, while China's Economy has 142 companies.
Stock Market Capitalization: United States Economy has $48.5 trillion, while China's Economy has $9.2 trillion.