Commentary: Why China’s Plummeting Acquittal Rates Spook Entrepreneurs
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According to the 2026 work report of the Supreme People's Court, courts nationwide acquitted 3,221 defendants from 2021 to 2025, a decrease of 41.2% from the previous five years. Photo: VCG
The recently released 2026 work report of China’s Supreme People’s Court reveals a striking statistical trend: Between 2021 and 2025, Chinese courts acquitted just 3,221 defendants across the country — a sharp 41.2% drop from the previous five-year period. Over the same timeframe, criminal appeals fell from 30,000 to 26,000, and the number of individuals exonerated through retrials plummeted from 116 in 2021 to a mere 39 in 2025.
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What Happened When
- 2021：
- 116 individuals were exonerated through retrials in Chinese courts.
- 2022：
- Zhu Zhengfu, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and deputy supervisor of the All China Lawyers Association, publicly highlighted the continuous decline in acquittals and the insufficient implementation of the presumption of innocence.
- Between 2021 and 2025：
- Chinese courts acquitted just 3,221 defendants across the country, a sharp 41.2% drop from the previous five-year period. Criminal appeals fell from 30,000 to 26,000, and exonerations through retrials dropped from 116 in 2021 to 39 in 2025.
- 2025：
- Exonerations through retrials in Chinese courts fell to 39. Courts corrected 55 business-related wrongful cases involving 88 individuals where criminal measures were illegally used.
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