🇨🇳 China vs 🇺🇸 United States
35 indicators below, published by both countries and set side by side. They differ most on inflation rate, where United States’s figure is 49.2× higher.
Side by Side
Each bar is scaled against the larger of the two values, so the gap is visible rather than only stated.
Bars compare magnitude only. A larger value is not a better one — several of these indicators have no better direction, and for others the lower figure is the favourable one.
Every Shared Indicator
35 indicators published for both countries. Bold marks the larger of the two values — larger is not always better. Ranks are out of the countries that report each indicator.
| Indicator | China | United States | China vs United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,406,585,0002nd of 240 | 341,784,8573rd of 240 | 4.1× higher |
| Annual Growth Rate | −0.17%208th of 240 | +0.52%143rd of 240 | 0.69 points apart |
| Population Density/km² | 150/km²82nd of 240 | 37/km²180th of 240 | 4.1× higher |
| Land Areakm² | 9,388,210 km²2nd of 240 | 9,147,420 km²3rd of 240 | 3% higher |
| Urban Population | 66.3%116th of 240 | 80.2%65th of 240 | 17% lower |
| GDP per Capita | $13,862110th of 240 | $90,02712th of 240 | 6.5× lower |
| GDP Growth | +5.0%54th of 210 | +2.2%136th of 210 | 2.3× higher |
| Life Expectancyyears | 78.0 years83rd of 240 | 78.9 years75th of 240 | 1% lower |
| Fertility Ratebirths per woman | 1.01 births per woman230th of 240 | 1.63 births per woman148th of 240 | 38% lower |
| Birth Rateper 1,000 | 6.8 per 1,000202nd of 213 | 10.6 per 1,000143rd of 213 | 36% lower |
| Death Rateper 1,000 | 7.8 per 1,00087th of 213 | 9.0 per 1,00060th of 213 | 14% lower |
| Infant Mortalityper 1,000 live births | 4.1 per 1,000 live births39th of 194 | 5.5 per 1,000 live births53rd of 194 | 25% lower |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.6%76th of 186 | 4.2%70th of 186 | 10% higher |
| Inflation Rate | 0.1%176th of 191 | 3.0%96th of 191 | 2.9 points apart |
| Poverty Rate | 0.0%1st of 164 | 11.4%24th of 164 | 11.4 points apart |
| Gini Index | 36.092nd of 170 | 41.8135th of 170 | 14% lower |
| Health Spendingof GDP | 5.9% of GDP106th of 192 | 16.7% of GDP3rd of 192 | 2.8× lower |
| Physiciansper 1,000 | 3.11 per 1,00057th of 206 | 3.68 per 1,00039th of 206 | 15% lower |
| Hospital Bedsper 1,000 | 5.63 per 1,00024th of 199 | 2.68 per 1,00084th of 199 | 2.1× higher |
| Literacy Rate | 96.7%66th of 175 | 99.0%29th of 175 | 2% lower |
| Education Spendingof GDP | 3.9% of GDP112th of 202 | 5.4% of GDP43rd of 202 | 28% lower |
| School Enrollmentgross, secondary | 92.3% gross, secondary97th of 207 | 97.5% gross, secondary74th of 207 | 5% lower |
| Renewable Energyof final consumption | 15.2% of final consumption122nd of 211 | 10.9% of final consumption142nd of 211 | 39% higher |
| Forest Coverageof land area | 24.0% of land area121st of 211 | 33.9% of land area95th of 211 | 29% lower |
| Internet Penetration | 91.6%51st of 211 | 94.7%31st of 211 | 3% lower |
| Mobile Subscriptionsper 100 people | 131.8 per 100 people54th of 212 | 113.2 per 100 people110th of 212 | 16% higher |
| Maternal Mortalityper 100,000 live births | 16 per 100,000 live births62nd of 193 | 17 per 100,000 live births65th of 193 | 6% lower |
| Military Spendingof GDP | 1.71% of GDP83rd of 163 | 3.42% of GDP24th of 163 | 50% lower |
| Protected Areasof land area | 15.6% of land area119th of 211 | 12.9% of land area140th of 211 | 21% higher |
| Median Ageyears | 40.1 years61st of 240 | 38.5 years79th of 240 | 4% higher |
| Mean Years of Schoolingyears | 9.0 years87th of 148 | 13.3 years4th of 148 | 33% lower |
| Human Development Index | 0.79777th of 192 | 0.93817th of 192 | 15% lower |
| Happiness Index/ 10 | 6.07/ 1067th of 164 | 6.82/ 1023rd of 164 | 11% lower |
| CO₂ Emissionstonnes per capita | 8.66 tonnes per capita30th of 212 | 14.20 tonnes per capita12th of 212 | 39% lower |
| Obesity Rate | 9.1%174th of 198 | 41.8%18th of 198 | 4.6× lower |
Values are each country’s most recent published observation, so the two sides of a row may be from different years — the country pages show the year for each. Bold marks the larger of the two, which is not always the better one.
Population, 1950–2100
Observed to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
| Series | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1950 | 544M |
| China | 1975 | 916.1M |
| China | 2000 | 1.27B |
| China | 2025 | 1.42B |
| China | 2050 | 1.26B |
| China | 2075 | 934.5M |
| China | 2100 | 633.4M |
| United States | 1950 | 154.2M |
| United States | 1975 | 219.1M |
| United States | 2000 | 281.5M |
| United States | 2025 | 347.3M |
| United States | 2050 | 380.8M |
| United States | 2075 | 402.9M |
| United States | 2100 | 421.3M |
Reading This Comparison
Size is not the same as rate
Totals and per-capita measures answer different questions. A country can have a far larger economy and a far lower GDP per capita at the same time — both facts are in the table.
Mind the vintages
Each value is the latest available for that country, which is not always the same year on both sides. For indicators that move slowly this rarely matters; for inflation or GDP growth it can.