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Policy profile on 12 axes

How China Is Governed

China is a unitary state that scores 0.04 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 33% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is in use and same-sex couples have no legal recognition. Below: the laws, institutions and public spending of China, scored on the same 12 axes as the test, with every indicator and source.

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Policy profile

The 12 axes, indicator by indicator

This profile describes the country's policy regime (laws, institutions and public spending) from published indices, not the views of its people or its current leaders. Data as of October 2026; each value shows its own year.

Ownership-0.60PublicPrivate4 indicators and sources
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): State dominates strategic sectors and much of large enterprise (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Property Rights (0-100): 40.9 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Investment Freedom (0-100): 20 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Financial Freedom (0-100): 20 (2026). Source
Markets0.00PlannedFree5 indicators and sources
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Business Freedom (0-100): 68.7 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Labor Freedom (0-100): 57.9 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Monetary Freedom (0-100): 76.1 (2026). Source
  • Regulatory Quality, estimate (-2.5 to 2.5): -0.11 (2025). Source
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): State dominates strategic sectors and much of large enterprise (2026). Source
Welfare+0.15SharedSelf-reliant3 indicators and sources
  • General government total expenditure (% of GDP): 32.88 (2025). Source
  • Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP): 3.39 (2023). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Tax Burden (0-100): 69.3 (2026). Source
Authority+1.00DemocraticStrong leader2 indicators and sources
  • Liberal Democracy Index (0-1): 0.04 (2025). Source
  • Judicial constraints on the executive (0-1): 0.03 (2025). Source
Security+0.65LibertyOrder4 indicators and sources
  • Freedom in the World civil liberties score (0-60): 11 (2025). Source
  • World Press Freedom Index score (0-100): 13.85 (2026). Source
  • Death penalty status: Retentionist, executions in the last 5 years (2025). Source
  • Prison population per 100,000 people: 119 (2018). Source
Structure+0.95LocalCentral2 indicators and sources
  • Territorial form of the state: Unitary state (2025). Source
  • Strong elected regional governments index (0-1): 0.03 (2025). Source
Morality-0.25ProgressiveTraditional3 indicators and sources
  • Same-sex marriage law (0 marriage, 1 civil union or partnership, 2 no recognition, 3 constitutional or statutory ban): No legal recognition (2025). No civil union or partnership registration exists in China; coded as no recognition. Source
  • Abortion law: On request (within a gestational limit) (2025). Source
  • Women, Business and the Law: Legal Framework Index (0-100): 70 (2025). Source
Religion-1.00SecularReligious2 indicators and sources
  • Religion and the state: State promotes atheism or tightly controls all religion (2025). Source
  • Blasphemy or religious-insult law in force: None (2025). Source
Technology-0.90EmbraceCaution3 indicators and sources
  • Research and development expenditure (% of GDP): 2.58 (2023). Source
  • Nuclear power policy: Building or officially planning new reactors (2025). Source
  • Genetically modified crop cultivation: GM crops grown commercially (2025). Source
Culture+1.00MulticulturalNational identity4 indicators and sources
  • International migrant stock (% of population): 0.12 (2024). Source
  • Citizenship by birth in the territory: None: citizenship by descent only (2025). Source
  • Residence required for ordinary naturalization (years; 0 = no ordinary route): No ordinary route (2025). Legal route exists but grants are extremely rare. Source
  • Dual citizenship for naturalizing adults: Not allowed: must renounce (2025). Source
Trade-0.25GlobalProtected4 indicators and sources
  • Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%): 2.18 (2022). Source
  • Tariff rate, applied, simple mean, all products (%): 5.36 (2022). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Trade Freedom (0-100): 73.4 (2026). Source
  • Trade (exports + imports) (% of GDP): 37.96 (2025). Source
Foreign policy+0.20CooperationStrength5 indicators and sources
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 1.72 (2025). Source
  • Military conscription: Selective, limited or newly reintroduced (2025). Compulsory in law, filled by volunteers in practice. Source
  • Nuclear weapons status (0 none, 1 considers, 2 pursues, 3 possesses): Possesses nuclear weapons (2023). Source
  • Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Not a party (never joined, signed only, or withdrew) (2026). Source
  • Collective defense commitments: Other mutual defense commitment only (EU Treaty art. 42.7, Rio Treaty, Arab League treaty, bilateral pact) (2026). 1961 treaty of mutual aid with North Korea. Source

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Policy neighbours

Governed most like China

Every other country with a profile, tinted by how close its laws, institutions and public spending are to those of China on the same 12 axes. The percentage uses the 12 Axes match formula.

  1. 1Vietnam80%
  2. 2Turkey72%
  3. 3Ukraine71%
  4. 4Cuba69%
  5. 5Hungary68%
Least similarGermany39%
World map of countries by how similar their policy regime is to ChinaClosest: 1. Vietnam 80%, 2. Turkey 72%, 3. Ukraine 71%, 4. Cuba 69%, 5. Hungary 68%, 6. Philippines 68%, 7. Russia 65%, 8. Saudi Arabia 65%, 9. Egypt 64%, 10. India 64%. Least similar: Germany 39%. Every country is in the list after the map.China
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FAQ

China: questions

How is China governed, on the 12 axes?

China is a unitary state that scores 0.04 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 33% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is in use and same-sex couples have no legal recognition. Its policy regime leans furthest toward Strong leader on Authority (+1.00), National identity on Culture (+1.00) and Secular on Religion (-1.00), on a scale from -1 to +1.

Which countries are governed most like China?

On the same 12 axes, the closest policy regimes are Vietnam (80%), Turkey (72%) and Ukraine (71%). The furthest is Germany (39%). Matches use the same formula as the 12 Axes test.

Where does the data on China come from?

From 41 indicators dated 2018 to 2026, published by V-Dem, Freedom House, the Heritage Foundation, the IMF, the OECD, the World Bank, SIPRI, Reporters Without Borders, the World Prison Brief, UN DESA and others. Among them: a press freedom score of 13.9 out of 100 (RSF, 2026), 119 prisoners per 100,000 people (2018), military spending of 1.7% of GDP (SIPRI, 2025) and 0.1% of residents born abroad (UN DESA, 2024). Every value, year and source is listed in the profile above.

Does the profile describe what people in China think?

No. It describes the policy regime: laws, institutions and public spending. It does not measure public opinion or the speeches of the current government. To see which country is governed closest to your own views, take the 12 Axes test and open the country match on your result.

Which political figures from China are on PoliticalTests?

So far Sun Yat-sen and Deng Xiaoping, each placed on the 12 axes of the 12 Axes Political Test from their own speeches, writings and record, with sources on the profile page. More figures are added over time.

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