China Is the World's Manufacturing Superpower

According to data published by the United Nations Statistics Division, China accounted for 29 percent of global manufacturing output in 2023. That puts the country almost 12 percentage points ahead of second-placed United States, which used to have the world’s largest manufacturing sector until China overtook it in 2010.

With total value added by the Chinese manufacturing sector amounting to $4.8 trillion in 2023, manufacturing accounted for 27 percent of the country’s total economic output. The U.S. economy is much less reliant on manufacturing these days: in 2023, the manufacturing sector accounted for just over 10 percent of the country's added value. With that, the U.S. economy is the least heavily reliant on domestic manufacturing among the world's top 10 manufacturing countries, with only France coming close.

Aside from China, other countries where manufacturing contributes 25 percent or more to domestic value added are Ireland, Cambodia, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand but none come even remotely close to China's manufacturing output.