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Charting and Mapping China’s Exports Since 2001

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A map and graph of the destination and growth of China's exports in the 21st century.

Charting and Mapping China’s Exports Since 2001

Between the dawn of the Roman Empire and the first factory built in the Industrial Revolution, China was one of the most powerful economies on the planet, with a gross domestic product that made up roughly 30% of the global economy.

By the 1970s, the country’s economy had regressed to a shadow of its historic self, with a per-capita income equal to one-third of sub-Saharan Africa. But over the next four decades, China’s rapid industrial transformation made it the manufacturing powerhouse of the world, and exports rapidly ballooned.

Which markets are receiving all of these exports? This graphic from Ehsan Soltani uses data from the World Trade Organization and the customs office of China to track the biggest destinations of China’s merchandise exports—defined as goods that leave the territory of a country—since the 2000s.

China’s Top Export Markets from 2001‒2022

In 2001, when China joined the World Trade Organization, the value of its merchandise exports stood at $266 billion. Over the next seven years, the country’s exports grew uninterrupted until the 2008 financial crisis caused a sharp decline in global trade.

This cycle would repeat again with consecutive growth until 2015 (another global trade slowdown), followed by slowed growth until 2020 (the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic).

But merchandise exports skyrocketed by 30% in 2021, and by the end of 2022 had grown to an estimated $3.6 trillion per year. That means China’s exports alone are bigger than the entire economies of countries like the UK, India, and France.

Which countries were receiving most of these merchandise exports? Here are China’s top export markets from 2022 and their change since 2001:

China's Export Market20012022Change (%)
🇺🇸 U.S.$54,355M$581,783M970%
🇪🇺 EU$37,922M$562,000M1,382%
🇭🇰 Hong Kong$46,541M$297,538M539%
🇯🇵 Japan$44,941M$172,927M285%
🇰🇷 South Korea$12,519M$162,621M1,199%
🇻🇳 Viet Nam$1,798M$146,960M8,074%
🇮🇳 India$1,896M$118,502M6,150%
🇲🇾 Malaysia$3,221M$93,711M2,809%
🇹🇼 Taiwan$5,001M$81,587M1,531%
🇬🇧 UK$6,781M$81,545M1,103%
🌎 Rest of the World$48,847M$1,294,427M2,550%
Total$263,822M$3,593,601M1,261%

Despite Trump-era tariffs and a growing geopolitical rift over the last few years, the U.S. has been the biggest market for China’s exports for the last two decades. In 2022, the country received nearly $582 billion in goods from China.

Close behind, the 27 member states of the European Union rank as the second biggest market for exported Chinese goods at $562 billion. The largest individual country was the Netherlands, which accounted for $118 billion or just under 21% of Chinese merchandise exports to the EU.

How do other individual countries compare? Below is the full list of China’s export markets in 2022 by countries and territories:

Country / TerritoryChina Exports (2022)
U.S.$581,783M
Hong Kong$297,538M
Japan$172,927M
South Korea$162,621M
Viet Nam$146,960M
India$118,502M
Netherlands$117,731M
Germany$116,227M
Malaysia$93,711M
Taiwan$81,587M
UK$81,545M
Singapore$81,168M
Australia$78,827M
Thailand$78,480M
Mexico$77,535M
Russia$76,123M
Indonesia$71,318M
Philippines$64,679M
Brazil$61,970M
U.A.E$53,862M
Canada$53,705M
Italy$50,908M
France$45,663M
Spain$41,750M
Poland$38,163M
Saudi Arabia$37,990M
Belgium$35,635M
Türkiye$34,034M
Bangladesh$26,808M
South Africa$24,196M
Pakistan$23,089M
Chile$22,520M
Nigeria$22,300M
Czech Republic$18,227M
Egypt$17,170M
Israel$16,481M
Kazakhstan$16,355M
Colombia$15,600M
Kyrgyzstan$15,421M
Cambodia$14,184M
Iraq$13,989M
Myanmar$13,616M
Peru$13,532M
Greece$12,988M
Argentina$12,769M
Panama$12,647M
Sweden$11,396M
Hungary$10,473M
Denmark$10,192M
Iran$9,440M
New Zealand$9,175M
Kenya$8,249M
Ghana$7,926M
Tanzania$7,775M
Switzerland$7,619M
Liberia$7,520M
Uzbekistan$7,504M
Romania$7,397M
Slovenia$6,861M
Ecuador$6,288M
Algeria$6,276M
Portugal$5,978M
Morocco$5,741M
Ireland$5,726M
Jordan$5,707M
Norway$5,191M
Austria$5,119M
Congo, DR$5,118M
Kuwait$4,970M
Finland$4,553M
Slovakia$4,436M
Guatemala$4,366M
Dominican Republic$4,319M
Macao$4,277M
Oman$4,205M
Angola$4,097M
Senegal$4,068M
Qatar$3,989M
Sri Lanka$3,755M
Cote d'Ivoire$3,491M
Marshall Islands$3,468M
Ukraine$3,300M
Mozambique$3,292M
Belarus$3,275M
Djibouti$3,262M
Togo$3,177M
Cameroon$3,167M
Venezuela$3,009M
Uruguay$2,983M
Mongolia$2,887M
Bulgaria$2,852M
Yemen$2,798M
Lebanon$2,516M
Libya$2,373M
Costa Rica$2,369M
Lao$2,340M
Guinea$2,283M
Croatia$2,266M
Tajikistan$2,217M
Ethiopia$2,217M
Serbia$2,177M
Sudan$2,034M
Malta$1,974M
Paraguay$1,895M
Tunisia$1,880M
Lithuania$1,790M
Bahrian$1,772M
Benin$1,691M
El Salvador$1,659M
Nepal$1,655M
Honduras$1,560M
Madagascar$1,455M
Papua New Guinea$1,426M
Georgia$1,252M
Cyprus$1,168M
Azerbaijan$1,136M
Zimbabwe$1,125M
Uganda$1,077M
Bolivia$1,067M
Somalia$1,047M
Jamaica$1,039M
Latvia$1,025M
Zambia$980M
Republic of Congo$976M
Mauritius$974M
Puerto Rico$973M
Estonia$947M
Mauritania$941M
North Korea$894M
Turkmenistan$868M
Brunei$831M
Nicaragua$724M
Albania$704M
Niger$676M
Haiti$635M
Gabon$583M
Mali$581M
Guyana$577M
Sierra Leone$573M
Namibia$557M
Afghanistan$553M
Trinidad and Tobago$544M
Luxembourg$526M
Burkina Faso$504M
Fiji$503M
Armenia$480M
Gambia$454M
Maldives$451M
Syria$425M
Cuba$414M
Rwanda$407M
Bahamas$397M
Belize$328M
Suriname$321M
Iceland$311M
Timor-Leste$290M
Chad$282M
Malawi$281M
Reunion$250M
North Macedonia$235M
Equatorial Guinea$231M
Botswana$221M
Montenegro$219M
Moldova$207M
Solomon Islands$196M
Bosnia and Hercegovina$185M
New Caledonia$169M
Bhutan$166M
Barbados$161M
Palestine$158M
South Sudan$157M
French Polynesia$154M
Eritrea$148M
Samoa$124M
Burundi$120M
Virgin Islands,British$109M
Antigua and Barbuda$105M
Vanuatu$96M
Seychelles$96M
Cape Verde$93M
Bermuda$83M
Swaziland$82M
Guadeloupe$68M
Comoros$67M
Liechtenstein$64M
Aruba$64M
Curacao$61M
Lesotho$60M
Mayotte$59M
Tonga$57M
Guinea-Bissau$57M
Cayman Islands$55M
Palau$54M
Central African Republic$52M
Martinique$48M
Kiribati$43M
French Guiana$39M
Saint Lucia$36M
Dominica$34M
Tuvalu$33M
Micronesia,FS$30M
Netherlands Antilles$26M
Grenada$23M
Andorra$22M
St.Vincent&Grenadines$22M
Gibraltar$18M
Sao Tome and Principe$15M
St.Kitts&Nevis$15M
Nauru$13M
Monaco$12M
Cook Islands$12M
Turks&Caicos Islands$10M
San Marino$10M
Saint Martin Islands$5M
Canary Islands$2M
Faroe Islands$2M
Wallis and Futuna$2M
Norfolk Island$2M
Western Sahara$1M
Greenland$1M
Society Islands$1M

Will China’s Exports Continue to Grow?

Like the broader global economy, the Chinese economy is starting to re-adjust.

For one, the country is beginning to rebalance exports from its manufacturing-heavy mix to a more even allocation of both manufacturing and services. Secondly, the economy’s overall reliance on exports has decreased significantly from its highs in the mid-2000s, with an aim to increase domestic consumption and have a more self-sufficient economy overall.

That’s not to say that Chinese dominance on the world export stage is expected to waver. With far-reaching economic policies like the One Belt, One Road initiative and the RCEP trade agreement between 15 countries in Asia and Oceania, there are plenty of future growth avenues for Chinese exports.

As the country faces an unprecedented internal demographic shift in the coming decades, perhaps China’s robust export sector will be key to continued economic growth.

Curious about China’s economy before its communist revolution? Check out Vintage Viz: China’s Export Economy in the Early 20th Century for some early data analysis.
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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Economy

Mapped: The State of Economic Freedom in 2023

How free are people to control their own labor, property, and finances? This map reveals the state of economic freedom globally.

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economic freedom

Mapped: The State of Economic Freedom in 2023

The concept of economic freedom serves as a vital framework for evaluating the extent to which individuals and businesses have the freedom to make economic decisions. In countries with low economic freedom, governments exert coercion and constraints on liberties, restricting choice for individuals and businesses, which can ultimately hinder prosperity.

The map above uses the annual Index of Economic Freedom from the Heritage Foundation to showcase the level of economic freedom in every country worldwide on a scale of 0-100, looking at factors like property rights, tax burdens, labor freedom, and so on.

The ranking categorizing scores of 80+ as free economies, 70-79.9 as mostly free, 60-69.9 as moderately free, 50-59.9 as mostly unfree, and 0-49.9 as repressed.

Measuring Economic Freedom

This ranking uses four broad categories with three key indicators each, both qualitative and quantitative, to measure economic freedom.

  1. Rule of law: property rights, judicial effectiveness, government integrity
  2. Size of government: tax burdens, fiscal health, government spending
  3. Regulatory efficiency: labor freedom, monetary freedom, business freedom
  4. Open markets: financial freedom, trade freedom, investment freedom

The 12 indicators are weighted equally and scored from 0-100. The overall score is then determined from the average of the 12 indicators.

Here’s a closer look at every country’s score:

RankCountry2023 Score
#1🇸🇬 Singapore83.9
#2🇨🇭 Switzerland83.8
#3🇮🇪 Ireland82.0
#4🇹🇼 Taiwan 80.7
#5🇳🇿 New Zealand78.9
#6🇪🇪 Estonia78.6
#7🇱🇺 Luxembourg78.4
#8🇳🇱 Netherlands78.0
#9🇩🇰 Denmark77.6
#10🇸🇪 Sweden77.5
#11🇫🇮 Finland77.1
#12🇳🇴 Norway76.9
#13🇦🇺 Australia74.8
#14🇩🇪 Germany73.7
#15🇰🇷 South Korea 73.7
#16🇨🇦 Canada73.7
#17🇱🇻 Latvia72.8
#18🇨🇾 Cyprus72.3
#19🇮🇸 Iceland72.2
#20🇱🇹 Lithuania72.2
#21🇨🇿 Czechia71.9
#22🇨🇱 Chile71.1
#23🇦🇹 Austria71.1
#24🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates70.9
#25🇺🇸 United States70.6
#26🇲🇺 Mauritius70.6
#27🇺🇾 Uruguay70.2
#28🇬🇧 United Kingdom69.9
#29🇧🇧 Barbados69.8
#30🇵🇹 Portugal69.5
#31🇯🇵 Japan69.3
#32🇧🇬 Bulgaria69.3
#33🇸🇰 Slovakia69.0
#34🇮🇱 Israel68.9
#35🇬🇪 Georgia68.7
#36🇶🇦 Qatar68.6
#37🇸🇮 Slovenia68.5
#38🇼🇸 Samoa68.3
#39🇯🇲 Jamaica68.1
#40🇵🇱 Poland67.7
#41🇲🇹 Malta67.5
#42🇲🇾 Malaysia67.3
#43🇧🇪 Belgium67.1
#44🇵🇪 Peru66.5
#45🇨🇷 Costa Rica66.5
#46🇭🇷 Croatia66.4
#47🇨🇻 Cabo Verde65.8
#48🇧🇳 Brunei Darussalam65.7
#49🇦🇱 Albania65.3
#50🇦🇲 Armenia65.1
#51🇪🇸 Spain65.0
#52🇧🇼 Botswana64.9
#53🇷🇴 Romania64.5
#54🇭🇺 Hungary64.1
#55🇵🇦 Panama63.8
#56🇲🇰 North Macedonia63.7
#57🇫🇷 France63.6
#58🇷🇸 Serbia63.5
#59🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines63.5
#60🇮🇩 Indonesia63.5
#61🇲🇽 Mexico63.2
#62🇨🇴 Colombia63.1
#63🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina62.9
#64🇬🇹 Guatemala62.7
#65🇩🇴 Dominican Republic62.6
#66🇧🇸 The Bahamas62.6
#67🇫🇲 Micronesia62.6
#68🇧🇭 Bahrain62.5
#69🇮🇹 Italy62.3
#70🇻🇺 Vanuatu62.1
#71🇰🇿 Kazakhstan62.1
#72🇻🇳 Vietnam61.8
#73🇲🇳 Mongolia61.7
#74🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe61.5
#75🇦🇿 Azerbaijan61.4
#76🇵🇾 Paraguay61.0
#77🇲🇪 Montenegro60.9
#78🇽🇰 Kosovo60.7
#79🇱🇨 Saint Lucia60.7
#80🇹🇭 Thailand60.6
#81🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire60.4
#82🇹🇴 Tonga60.0
#83🇹🇿 Tanzania60.0
#84🇧🇯 Benin59.8
#85🇧🇿 Belize59.8
#86🇩🇲 Dominica59.7
#87🇸🇨 Seychelles59.5
#88🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago59.5
#89🇵🇭 Philippines59.3
#90🇧🇹 Bhutan59.0
#91🇲🇬 Madagascar58.9
#92🇰🇮 Kiribati58.8
#93🇯🇴 Jordan58.8
#94🇭🇳 Honduras58.7
#95🇴🇲 Oman58.5
#96🇲🇩 Moldova58.5
#97🇲🇦 Morocco58.4
#98🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia58.3
#99🇬🇭 Ghana58.0
#100🇫🇯 Fiji58.0
#101🇬🇲 The Gambia57.9
#102🇳🇦 Namibia57.7
#103🇸🇳 Senegal57.7
#104🇹🇷 Türkiye56.9
#105🇬🇾 Guyana56.9
#106🇬🇷 Greece56.9
#107🇸🇧 Solomon Islands56.9
#108🇰🇼 Kuwait56.7
#109🇺🇿 Uzbekistan56.5
#110🇰🇭 Cambodia56.5
#111🇧🇫 Burkina Faso56.2
#112🇬🇦 Gabon56.1
#113🇩🇯 Djibouti56.1
#114🇸🇻 El Salvador56.0
#115🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan55.8
#116🇿🇦 South Africa55.7
#117🇲🇷 Mauritania55.3
#118🇹🇬 Togo55.3
#119🇪🇨 Ecuador55.0
#120🇸🇿 Eswatini54.9
#121🇳🇮 Nicaragua54.9
#122🇲🇱 Mali54.5
#123🇧🇩 Bangladesh54.4
#124🇳🇬 Nigeria53.9
#125🇷🇺 Russia53.8
#126🇳🇪 Niger53.7
#127🇧🇷 Brazil53.5
#128🇰🇲 Comoros53.5
#129🇬🇳 Guinea53.2
#130🇦🇴 Angola53.0
#131🇮🇳 India52.9
#132🇹🇳 Tunisia52.9
#133🇲🇼 Malawi52.8
#134🇲🇿 Mozambique52.5
#135🇰🇪 Kenya52.5
#136🇱🇰 Sri Lanka52.2
#137🇷🇼 Rwanda52.2
#138🇹🇩 Chad52.0
#139🇨🇲 Cameroon51.9
#140🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea51.7
#141🇱🇸 Lesotho51.6
#142🇳🇵 Nepal51.4
#143🇺🇬 Uganda51.4
#144🇦🇷 Argentina51.0
#145🇧🇾 Belarus51.0
#146🇹🇯 Tajikistan50.6
#147🇱🇦 Laos50.3
#148🇸🇱 Sierra Leone50.2
#149🇭🇹 Haiti49.9
#150🇱🇷 Liberia49.6
#151🇪🇬 Egypt49.6
#152🇵🇰 Pakistan49.4
#153🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea48.3
#154🇨🇳 China48.3
#155🇪🇹 Ethiopia48.3
#156🇨🇬 Congo48.1
#157🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo47.9
#158🇿🇲 Zambia47.8
#159🇹🇱 Timor-Leste47.2
#160🇲🇻 Maldives46.6
#161🇹🇲 Turkmenistan46.5
#162🇲🇲 Myanmar46.5
#163🇸🇷 Suriname46.1
#164🇱🇧 Lebanon45.6
#165🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau44.6
#166🇨🇫 Central African Republic43.8
#167🇧🇴 Bolivia43.4
#168🇩🇿 Algeria43.2
#169🇮🇷 Iran42.2
#170🇧🇮 Burundi41.9
#171🇪🇷 Eritrea39.5
#172🇿🇼 Zimbabwe39.0
#173🇸🇩 Sudan32.8
#174🇻🇪 Venezuela25.8
#175🇨🇺 Cuba24.3
#176🇰🇵 North Korea2.9
-🇮🇶 IraqN/A
-🇱🇾 LibyaN/A
-🇱🇮 LiechtensteinN/A
-AfghanistanN/A

Only four countries in the world have a score of 80 or above, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, and Taiwan, categorizing them as completely free economically.

Let’s now look at things from a more regional perspective.

Europe

map of economic freedom in europe in 2023

From a regional perspective, Europe ranks the strongest in economic freedom.

Despite being a powerhouse within Europe, Germany ranks 10th in the continent, with a score of 73.7. One of the categories Germany scored the weakest in was government spending (28.3/100). Over the last three years, government spending has averaged 49% of GDP.

Ireland ranks third globally, scoring particularly high in categories like property rights and judicial effectiveness. The country also has no minimum capital requirement—which is typically a banking regulation and corporate law issue determining how many assets an organization must hold—making it attractive for businesses to set up shop on the Emerald Isle.

Africa

map of economic freedom in Africa in 2023

Currently, Africa is the continent with the least economic freedom in the world, however, it is also the region with the highest potential for economic growth. A booming population, and thus, labor force, are promising for future innovation. In fact, it’s anticipated that Africa will see an increase of 2.5 billion people by the end of the century.

The lowest scoring country in Africa is Sudan, a country under further strain thanks to rife civil conflict. Historically, economic development has been constrained by rampant corruption and a lack of institutional capacity.

Conversely, Botswana registered the highest score on continental Africa (64.9), ranking higher than countries like France and Italy.

The Americas

map of economic freedom in the americas in 2023

In the Americas, the United States ranks 3rd regionally—25th overall—with a score of 70.6. The report attributes the categorization of U.S. as only “mostly free” to issues like inflation, increasing government debt, and unchecked deficit spending. Public debt currently sits at a figure equivalent to more than 128% of GDP.

In South America, Chile comes out on top, ranking above many other economic powerhouses like the U.S., the UK, and Japan. However, the 2021 election of a new Constitutional Assembly could risk the current economic state, as it favors a much more socialist approach to the economy.

East Asia and Oceania

map of economic freedom in asia and oceania in 2023

China’s score is among the lowest in East Asia & Oceania, ranking 154th in the world categorizing it as a repressed economy. The ruling Chinese Communist Party routinely exercises direct control over economic activity. China’s protectionist stance towards foreign investment and a plethora of trade tariffs imposed by other nations also factor in here.

In India, where public debt is equivalent to about 84% of GDP, fiscal health is the worst-scoring category. Additionally, much of the economy remains quite informal; a large share of people work in jobs without tax slips, recorded income, or formal contracts protecting them, which challenges labor freedoms.

The Middle East and Central Asia

map of economic freedom in the middle east and central asia in 2023

It may come as no surprise that the United Arab Emirates has the highest score in the Middle East. The UAE has implemented various measures and initiatives, such as tax exemptions, duty-free zones, streamlined business registration processes, and flexible regulatory frameworks to encourage entrepreneurship and foreign direct investment. As well, the top individual and corporate tax rates in the country are 0%.

Türkiye’s lowest scoring category relates to judiciary effectiveness and the rule of law. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has already been in power for two decades, recently won the country’s election, again cementing his authority over Turkish politics. This makes it unlikely that Türkiye’s economic freedom score will recover in the short to medium term.

Where Does This Data Come From?

Source: The Index of Economic Freedom from the Heritage Foundation

Data notes: A number of countries were not ranked due to unavailable data or other factors, like ongoing war, that made it difficult to properly assess the economy. These countries include: Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Liechtenstein, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.

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