On average, each person in China person uses 138 grams of antibiotics per year. This is 10 times the amount used per capita in the U.S. Chinese people are prescribed three times as much penicillin as the international standard, and 70% of inpatients at Chinese hospitals received antibiotics, compared to the maximum of 30% recommended by the World Health Organization.
The effectiveness of antibiotics is diminishing in China as diseases mutate and develop immunity in response to antibiotic overuse. Close to 7% of tuberculosis cases in China are multidrug resistant, compared to just 2% elsewhere.
According to Time Magazine:
“Experts believe that diseases as diverse as syphilis and the hospital superbug MRSA are thriving as they adapt to China's antibiotic-heavy environment ... [D]rug sales [in China] now account for over 50% of all hospital revenues and antibiotics account for 47% of all drug sales ... [D]octors' incomes [are] also closely linked to their prescription of certain pharmaceuticals, with both bonuses from their hospitals and kickbacks from companies augmenting their salaries.”