China's Economy vs United States Economy
The US economy leads in per-capita wealth and technological innovation with a $27.4 trillion GDP and $82,000 per-capita income, while China's $17.9 trillion GDP ranks second globally but serves 1.4 billion people with $12,500 per-capita income. The US dominates in productivity and currency strength, while China leads in manufacturing output and foreign exchange reserves.
China's Economy vs United States Economy — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
World's largest developed economy with $27.4 trillion GDP and technology/finance dominance
World's second-largest economy at $17.8 trillion with 28% global manufacturing share and 5% annual growth
Total GDP (Nominal). GDP Per Capita. Foreign Exchange Reserves. Manufacturing Output (% of global). Unemployment Rate. National Debt to GDP Ratio. Average Annual Wage
Choose the US economy if prioritizing per-capita wealth, living standards, technological innovation leadership, and currency stability for investment purposes. Choose China's economy if analyzing manufacturing dominance, foreign exchange reserves, rapid infrastructure development, and growth potential in emerging markets with lower labor costs.
United States Economy: 3.5% | China's Economy: N/A
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: $310 billion | 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: 123% | China's Economy: 77%
United States Economy: 339 million | 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: 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: $82,900 | China's Economy: $12,720
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: $0.1306 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: 135 companies | China's Economy: 142 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: 18% | 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: $-$73 billion | 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: $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: -$773 billion (deficit) | 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: $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: 28%
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: +$352 billion surplus
United States Economy: 398,144 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $329 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: 16% | 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: $130 billion | China's Economy: $3.2 trillion
United States Economy: $76,398 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 11.2% | China's Economy: 27%
United States Economy: 415,000 | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: $48.2 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: $27.36 trillion | China's Economy: $17.9 trillion
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: 4.0% | 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: 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: 0.84 million | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 13.3% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 123% | China's Economy: 280%
United States Economy: $840 billion | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 12.3% | China's Economy: N/A
United States Economy: 2.1% | China's Economy: 5.0%
United States Economy: $81,045 | China's Economy: $12,720
United States Economy: 26.4% | 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 United States Economy — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for China's Economy vs United States Economy. Contains 285 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
China's Economy vs United States Economy — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for China's Economy vs United States Economy.
Which economy is actually larger, the US or China?
The US has the larger nominal GDP at $27.4 trillion vs China's $17.9 trillion as of 2026. However, China surpassed the US in PPP (purchasing power parity) GDP around 2016, now at $32 trillion vs US $31 trillion. Nominal GDP measures market exchange rates; PPP adjusts for living cost differences. For global trade and investment, nominal GDP is the standard metric.
Why is China's per-capita income so much lower despite being the second-largest economy?
China has 1.4 billion people versus the US's 340 million. When dividing total GDP by population, China's per-capita income is only $12,500 compared to the US's $82,000. This reflects China's earlier stage of development—though industrializing rapidly, most Chinese workers earn wages 5-8x lower than US counterparts. This gap narrows yearly as China develops.
How sustainable are China's foreign exchange reserves of $3.27 trillion?
China's $3.27 trillion in FX reserves (mostly USD-denominated) is sustainable because it results from consistent trade surpluses averaging $300-400 billion annually. These reserves serve as a stabilization mechanism during capital outflows and provide confidence in the yuan. However, China also faces $2.8 trillion in external debt, reducing net reserve strength. The US holds only $130 billion because the dollar's reserve status means less accumulation is needed.
Is the US debt-to-GDP ratio of 128% unsustainable?
The US debt ratio of 128% is elevated but manageable because: (1) most debt is denominated in USD, giving the Federal Reserve control over rates, (2) foreign holdings are only 30% of total debt, and (3) the US runs persistent tax revenues of $4.5 trillion annually. However, if interest rates remain elevated, debt service will consume 25%+ of federal revenue by 2030, constraining stimulus. China's 77% ratio provides more fiscal flexibility currently.
China's real GDP growth averages 5.0% annually (2024-2026), while the US averages 2.8%. However, the US's growth is from a much higher per-capita base ($82,000 vs $12,500), meaning Americans add more absolute purchasing power yearly. China's faster headline growth reflects earlier industrialization stage and government stimulus, while US growth is constrained by mature markets and higher labor costs. Nominal growth rates are similar (~5-6%) due to inflation differences.
How to Choose Between United States Economy and China's Economy
Total GDP (Nominal): United States Economy has $27.4 trillion, while China's Economy has $17.9 trillion.
GDP Per Capita: United States Economy has $82,000, while China's Economy has $12,500.
Foreign Exchange Reserves: United States Economy has $130 billion, while China's Economy has $3.27 trillion.
Consider: Manufacturing Output (% of global)
Manufacturing Output (% of global): United States Economy has 16%, while China's Economy has 29%.
Unemployment Rate: United States Economy has 3.7%, while China's Economy has 5.1%.
National Debt to GDP Ratio: United States Economy has 128%, while China's Economy has 77%.
Average Annual Wage: United States Economy has $60,500, while China's Economy has $11,000.