Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Afghanistan fits inside China 15 times
Afghanistan: 652,870 km² (2024) · China: 9,562,910 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Afghanistan: 0 km (2026 edition) · China: 14,500 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 1,357 m above Afghanistan’s
Afghanistan: 7,492 m (2026 edition) · China: 8,849 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 58% of Afghanistan, versus 42% of China
Afghanistan: 58.4% (2024) · China: 41.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 32 times as many people as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 43.8 million (2025) · China: 1.41 billion (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 2.2 times as densely populated as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 67 per km² (2025) · China: 150 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 7.2 cm taller than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 168.5 cm (2019) · China: 175.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 7.3 cm taller than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 156.1 cm (2019) · China: 163.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 22 years older than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16.9 years (2023) · China: 39.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Afghanistan have 3.7 more children on average than in China
Afghanistan: 4.76 children per woman (2024) · China: 1.01 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 2.4% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2.4% (2025) · China: 14.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Afghanistan hosts 2,911 times as many refugees per resident as China
Afghanistan: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025) · China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Afghanistan none
Afghanistan: 0 (2026) · China: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Afghanistan has 3 official languages, China 1
Afghanistan: 3 (2026) · China: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 1,097 times the size of Afghanistan’s
Afghanistan: $17.8 billion (2024) · China: $19.5 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 13 times as much per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Int$2,236 (2024) · China: Int$29,333 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Afghanistan: no data · China: 36 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Afghanistan: no data · China: 0% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 13% in Afghanistan, versus 4.6% in China
Afghanistan: 13.4% (2025) · China: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Afghanistan and China are practically level
Afghanistan: 1.8% (2021) · China: 1.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Afghanistan’s central government collects 9.9% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
Afghanistan: 9.9% (2017) · China: 7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 2.5× Afghanistan’s
Afghanistan: 19% (2024) · China: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 13 times as much on health per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: $59 (2023) · China: $763 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 12 years longer than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 66.3 years (2024) · China: 78 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Afghanistan is 12 times as likely to die before turning one as in China
Afghanistan: 48.3 per 1,000 (2024) · China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 9.8 times as many doctors per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 16 times as many hospital beds per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in China is 60% higher than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 5 per 100k (2023) · China: 8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Afghanistan are obese, versus 9.1% in China
Afghanistan: 18.8% (2024) · China: 9.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 22% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 22.1% (2024) · China: 22.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 4.63 points higher than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 1.45 (2025) · China: 6.07 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 122 times as much alcohol as in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.03 litres (2023) · China: 3.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 12 times as much meat per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 6.4 kg (2023) · China: 73.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 1,212 kcal more food per person per day than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2,315 kcal (2023) · China: 3,527 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Afghanistan: no data · China: 2,328 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in China went to school 5.5 years longer than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2.5 years (2023) · China: 8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Afghanistan: no data · China: 0.05 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 59 more World Heritage sites than Afghanistan (61 against 2)
Afghanistan: 2 (2026) · China: 61 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Afghanistan 2
Afghanistan: 2 (2026 edition) · China: 819 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 16% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16% (2024) · China: 92% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 23 times as fast as in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16 Mbps (2026) · China: 364 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 88% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 87.8% (2024) · China: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 26% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 26% (2025) · China: 66% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Afghanistan 60
Afghanistan: 60 (2024) · China: 132 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Afghanistan: no data · China: 109,767 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 19 times as many passengers per resident as those from Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.02 (2023) · China: 0.44 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of China, but only 1.9% of Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 1.9% (2024) · China: 24% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 34 times as much CO₂ as someone in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.3 t (2024) · China: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Afghanistan’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
Afghanistan: 86.9% (2024) · China: 37% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Afghanistan carries 28% more fine dust than in China
Afghanistan: 40 µg/m³ (2024) · China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8 times as likely to be murdered in Afghanistan as in China
Afghanistan: 4 per 100k (2021) · China: 0.5 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Afghanistan are 44% deadlier than in China
Afghanistan: 35.6 per 100k (2023) · China: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Afghanistan is on average 5.7 °C warmer than China
Afghanistan: 13.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 2.5 times as much rain as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 324 mm (2016–2025 avg) · China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Afghanistan bigger than China?
China is larger. Afghanistan fits inside China 15 times.
Which has more people, Afghanistan or China?
China has 32 times as many people as Afghanistan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or China?
People in China live 12 years longer than in Afghanistan. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in Afghanistan and 78.0 in China.
Are people taller in Afghanistan or China?
Men in China are 7.2 cm taller than in Afghanistan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
