Abstract: The spatial and temporal characteristics of global gross primary productivity (GPP) and soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) losses from 1981 to 2013 were revealed using the improved community land surface model version 5.0 (CLM5.0), and the impact of the lateral transport of soil DOC on the terrestrial carbon budget was investigated. The results showed that the global soil DOC losses significantly increased over the years, with a multiyear average value of 458 Tg(C) a⁻¹. With the lateral transport of soil DOC, the GPP and net primary productivity (NPP) decreased in most regions of the world, except for the northwestern part of South America and some regions of west-central Africa where the GPP and NPP increased, which can be related to the lower increase in runoff flux and DOC reservoir compared to the GPP and NPP. Overall, the global total GPP and NPP reduced by about 8.61 Pg(C) a⁻¹ and approximately 7.28 Pg(C) a⁻¹, respectively, on a multiyear average basis due to the lateral transport of soil DOC. Moreover, the reduction in the GPP showed an increasing trend over the years, with an increase in soil DOC losses, while the reduction in the NPP tended to be stable. The intra-annual reduction in the GPP and NPP exhibited an increasing trend from May to July and a decreasing trend from July to November.