State Capacity Index in China

China: State Capacity Index was 0.7145 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
0.7145
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
62nd
of 166 countries
All-time high
0.7498
in 2003
All-time low
-0.4825
in 1972
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in China, 1960–2015

-0.5-0.2500.250.50.75196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

China recorded 0.7145 for state capacity index in 2015.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in China peaked at 0.7498 in 2003 and was at its lowest, -0.4825, in 1972.

China ranks 62nd of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

State Capacity Index in China, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in China, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 -0.388
1961 -0.4016 +3.5%
1962 -0.4013 -0.1%
1963 -0.421 +4.9%
1964 -0.3937 -6.5%
1965 -0.3953 +0.4%
1966 -0.4581 +15.9%
1967 -0.4714 +2.9%
1968 -0.4788 +1.6%
1969 -0.4718 -1.5%
1970 -0.4659 -1.3%
1971 -0.4745 +1.8%
1972 -0.4825 +1.7%
1973 -0.4697 -2.7%
1974 -0.4621 -1.6%
1975 -0.4576 -1.0%
1976 -0.4545 -0.7%
1977 -0.3463 -23.8%
1978 -0.28 -19.1%
1979 -0.0137 -95.1%
1980 0.2244 -1740.4%
1981 0.2303 +2.6%
1982 0.379 +64.6%
1983 0.4319 +14.0%
1984 0.4612 +6.8%
1985 0.5655 +22.6%
1986 0.5801 +2.6%
1987 0.5727 -1.3%
1988 0.5612 -2.0%
1989 0.5793 +3.2%
1990 0.5729 -1.1%
1991 0.5064 -11.6%
1992 0.6357 +25.5%
1993 0.6851 +7.8%
1994 0.57 -16.8%
1995 0.6824 +19.7%
1996 0.6785 -0.6%
1997 0.6384 -5.9%
1998 0.6312 -1.1%
1999 0.605 -4.2%
2000 0.6263 +3.5%
2001 0.5886 -6.0%
2002 0.7364 +25.1%
2003 0.7498 +1.8%
2004 0.6088 -18.8%
2005 0.6532 +7.3%
2006 0.5973 -8.6%
2007 0.6399 +7.1%
2008 0.6695 +4.6%
2009 0.6909 +3.2%
2010 0.6988 +1.1%
2011 0.7037 +0.7%
2012 0.7246 +3.0%
2013 0.7356 +1.5%
2014 0.7298 -0.8%
2015 0.7145 -2.1%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 0.7145 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5986, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • China's 0.7145 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6617, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1980 +1740.4% -0.0137 0.2244
1979 +95.1% -0.28 -0.0137
1982 +64.6% 0.2303 0.379

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -0.4281 -0.4788 -0.388 10
1970s -0.3907 -0.4825 -0.0137 10
1980s 0.4586 0.2244 0.5801 10
1990s 0.6206 0.5064 0.6851 10
2000s 0.6561 0.5886 0.7498 10
2010s 0.7178 0.6988 0.7356 6

Countries ranked near China

  1. 59 Morocco 0.7204 compare
  2. 60 North Macedonia 0.7169 compare
  3. 61 Philippines 0.7146 compare
  4. 63 United Arab Emirates 0.7112 compare
  5. 64 Indonesia 0.6743 compare
  6. 65 Mexico 0.6593 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in China?
State capacity index in China was 0.7145 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 0.7498 in 2003.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was -0.4825 in 1972.
How does China rank for state capacity index?
China ranks 62nd out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in China. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/china/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.