Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bhutan fits inside China 249 times.
Bhutan: 38,390 km² (2023) · China: 9,562,910 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Bhutan: 0 km (2026 edition) · China: 14,500 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 1,279 m above Bhutan’s.
Bhutan: 7,570 m (2026 edition) · China: 8,849 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 1,766 times as many people as Bhutan.
Bhutan: 796,682 (2025) · China: 1.41 billion (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 7.2 times as densely populated as Bhutan.
Bhutan: 21 per km² (2025) · China: 150 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 8.6 cm taller than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 167.1 cm (2019) · China: 175.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 8.3 cm taller than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 155.2 cm (2019) · China: 163.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 9.7 years older than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 29.4 years (2023) · China: 39.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bhutan have 0.4 more children on average than in China.
Bhutan: 1.45 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 6.6% in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 6.6% (2025) · China: 14.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Bhutan: no data · China: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bhutan and China are practically level.
Bhutan: 1 (2026) · China: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 5,447 times the size of Bhutan’s.
Bhutan: $3.58 billion (2025) · China: $19.5 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 50% more per person than Bhutan.
Bhutan: Int$19,594 (2025) · China: Int$29,333 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Bhutan (Gini 7.5 points higher).
Bhutan: 28.5 (2022) · China: 36 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 3.2% in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 3.2% (2025) · China: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Bhutan: no data · China: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Bhutan’s.
Bhutan: 23% (2025) · China: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 4.7 times as much on health per person as Bhutan.
Bhutan: $162 (2023) · China: $763 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 4.8 years longer than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 73.3 years (2024) · China: 78 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bhutan is 3.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in China.
Bhutan: 13.7 per 1,000 (2024) · China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 5.6 times as many doctors per person as Bhutan.
Bhutan: 0.6 per 1,000 (2022) · China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in Bhutan are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
Bhutan: 13% (2024) · China: 9.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 20% in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 19.6% (2024) · China: 22.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 0.99 points higher than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 5.08 (2018) · China: 6.07 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 20% more alcohol than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 3.1 litres (2023) · China: 3.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 5 times as much meat per person as Bhutan.
Bhutan: 14.7 kg (2023) · China: 73.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 420 kcal more food per person per day than Bhutan.
Bhutan: 3,107 kcal (2023) · China: 3,527 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Bhutan: no data · China: 2,328 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in China went to school 2.2 years longer than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 5.8 years (2023) · China: 8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China welcomed 74% more tourists per resident than Bhutan (2019).
Bhutan: 0.03 (2022) · China: 0.05 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
China and Bhutan are practically level.
Bhutan: 91% (2024) · China: 92% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
Bhutan and China are practically level.
Bhutan: 100% (2024) · China: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 43% in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 43% (2025) · China: 66% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bhutan 100.
Bhutan: 100 (2024) · China: 132 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Bhutan: no data · China: 109,767 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 85% more passengers per resident than those from Bhutan.
Bhutan: 0.24 (2023) · China: 0.44 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 72% of Bhutan, but only 24% of China.
Bhutan: 71.6% (2023) · China: 24% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 4.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 2.1 t (2024) · China: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Bhutan’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China.
Bhutan: 100% (2024) · China: 37% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 27% more fine dust than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 24.7 µg/m³ (2024) · China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.9 times as likely to be murdered in Bhutan as in China.
Bhutan: 2.5 per 100k (2020) · China: 0.5 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 43% deadlier than in Bhutan.
Bhutan: 12.2 per 100k (2021) · China: 17.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Bhutan is on average 1.1 °C warmer than China.
Bhutan: 8.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Bhutan gets 4 times as much rain as China.
Bhutan: 3,225 mm (2016–2025 avg) · China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bhutan bigger than China?
China is larger. Bhutan fits inside China 249 times.
Which has more people, Bhutan or China?
China has 1,766 times as many people as Bhutan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bhutan or China?
People in China live 4.8 years longer than in Bhutan. Life expectancy at birth is 73.3 years in Bhutan and 78.0 in China.
Are people taller in Bhutan or China?
Men in China are 8.6 cm taller than in Bhutan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
