China vs United Kingdom: 25_SDR holdings

China
53.88 billion
in 2025
United Kingdom
39.90 billion
in 2025
China rank
3rd
United Kingdom rank
5th

25_SDR holdings over time

  • China
  • United Kingdom
020.0B40.0B60.0B199020072025

How they compare

China currently reports 53.88 billion against 39.90 billion in United Kingdom, a difference of 13.99 billion.

That makes China's figure about 1.4 times United Kingdom's.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 36 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United Kingdom ahead.

China ranks 3rd and United Kingdom ranks 5th of 188 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1990s 563.76 million 684.58 million 120.81 million United Kingdom
2000s 1.06 billion 356.88 million 707.18 million China
2010s 11.15 billion 13.21 billion 2.06 billion United Kingdom
2020s 39.18 billion 31.87 billion 7.31 billion China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher 25_sdr holdings, China or United Kingdom?
China, at 53.88 billion against 39.90 billion in United Kingdom as of 2025.
What is the difference in 25_sdr holdings between China and United Kingdom?
13.99 billion, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United Kingdom?
36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
How do China and United Kingdom rank globally for 25_sdr holdings?
China ranks 3rd and United Kingdom ranks 5th of 188 countries.
Where does this data come from?
IMF, published as 25_SDR holdings. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
25_SDR holdings
Source
IMF
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
189 places, 6,685 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Holdings of SDRs are international reserve assets created by the IMF to supplement existing reserves. They are valued on the basis of a basket of currencies of four key international currencies and can be used in a wide variety of transactions and operations among official holders. SDRs are allocated to Fund members that are participants in the Fund’s Operations Division for SDRs and Administered Accounts in proportion to their quotas. Data are sourced from IMF records.