While China’s status as the world’s largest manufacturing hub seems to be a law of nature these days - one only challenged by President Trump - that hasn’t always been the case. 

In fact, as Statista's Felix Richter shows in the chart below, as recently as 2009, the U.S. trumped China in manufacturing output as measured by total value added in the sector.

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China’s manufacturing output climbed from roughly $134 billion in 1980 to roughly $4.8 trillion in 2023. 

During that time, China’s share of global manufacturing output climbed from 5 percent to around 30 percent, while former manufacturing leader the United States saw its share drop from 21 to 17 percent. 

In 2001, the U.S. share of global manufacturing peaked at 28 percent, but China’s accession to the WTO in 2001, which opened the country up to the world economy, quickly changed the balance of power.