China’s Economy is Larger Than 30 Asian Economies

The New Diplomat
Writer

Ad

2027: INEC Boss, Yakubu Warns, Says APC, ADC, PDP, LP, Others, violating electoral laws with early campaigns

By Abiola Olawale The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has sounded a warning to Nigeria's political parties, declaring that early political campaigns by aspirants and parties pose a severe threat to the nation's fragile democratic framework. Speaking at a high-level stakeholders' roundtable on the challenges of early political campaigns,…

MDBs set to scale up $137bn climate finance push at COP30 in Brazil

By Obinna Uballa Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are preparing to expand climate financing commitments at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, building on a record $137 billion deployed in 2024, according to the Joint Report on Multilateral Development Banks’ Climate Finance made available to New Diplomat on Wednesday. The report, coordinated by the European Investment Bank (EIB)…

Concerns as Qatar Tightens Visa Rules, Bars Nigerian Men from Solo Travel

By Abiola Olawale The Qatari government has announced its decision to bar Nigerian men from travelling solo to the country. The Qatari Ministry of Interior said the new visa regulations for Nigerian men travellers came after recent cases of overstays. Under the new policy, Nigerian men must show intent to travel with their wives, sisters,…

Ad

The world’s second-largest economy sometimes suffers from its own success: it’s hard to comprehend how big it really is.

To help put things in perspective, this map compares China’s economy with East, Southeast, South, and Central Asia: a combined entity of 30 other countries labeled as “Rest of Asia”.

Data is sourced from the UN and the IMF as of 2024. Countries from Western Asia (i.e. the Middle East) and Russia (which spans Europe and Asian continents) haven’t been included, and data was unavailable for North Korea.

How China Stacks Up vs. Asian Economies
With an $18 trillion economic output in 2024, China’s GDP is nearly $2 trillion larger than 30 economies combined: $16.5 trillion.

China v Rest of Asia 2024 GDP Population
🇯🇵 Japan $4,070,000,000,000 123,753,000
🇮🇳 India $3,890,000,000,000 1,450,936,000
🇰🇷 South Korea $1,870,000,000,000 51,718,000
🇮🇩 Indonesia $1,400,000,000,000 283,488,000
🇹🇼 Taiwan $775,020,000,000 23,214,000
🇸🇬 Singapore $530,710,000,000 5,832,387
🇹🇭 Thailand $528,920,000,000 71,668,000
🇻🇳 Vietnam $468,490,000,000 100,988,000
🇧🇩 Bangladesh $451,470,000,000 173,562,000
🇵🇭 Philippines $440,060,000,000 115,844,000
🇨🇳 China $18,270,000,000,000 1,419,321,000

That list of 30 countries includes other Asian heavyweights like: Japan ($4.1 trillion), India ($3.9 trillion), and South Korea ($1.87 trillion), the world’s 4th, 5th, and 12th largest economies.

More than 2.9 billion people inhabit this bloc of countries, compared to China’s 1.4 billion residents. The per capita GDP reveals the imbalance in productivity: $12,870 for China versus $5,583 for the rest of Asia.

Why the Chinese Economy Slowdown Matters

Now that comprehending the size of China’s economy is somewhat more feasible, it makes more sense why the post-pandemic slowdown has rung alarm bells for economists around the world.

It’s easier to think of it less as one country in an economic slump, and more as, say, 30 countries in a bit of a bother.

Since 2010, China’s economy has added roughly $1 trillion—the size of Saudi Arabia—every single year. From 2012–2021, China contributed nearly 39% to global growth by itself, more than the G7 countries combined.

It’s not an exaggeration to say the world economy would look very different without China—especially for the manufacturing and industrial sectors, where it commands a dominant market position.

Falling Chinese demand hurts all the countries who export to China—and this includes large parts of Asia and Africa.

Meanwhile, in an effort to sell elsewhere, Chinese businesses have shifted focus to international markets, already putting them in confrontational crosshairs with the U.S. and EU over unfair trade practices. More tariffs could raise the cost of goods and services to consumers around the world.

 

Ad

Unlocking Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea during UNGA80
X whatsapp