Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
China is 12% bigger than Brazil
Brazil: 8,510,420 km² (2024) · China: 9,562,910 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 94% longer than Brazil’s
Brazil: 7,491 km (2026 edition) · China: 14,500 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 5,855 m above Brazil’s
Brazil: 2,994 m (2026 edition) · China: 8,849 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 28% of Brazil
Brazil: 28.4% (2024) · China: 41.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 6.6 times as many people as Brazil
Brazil: 213 million (2025) · China: 1.41 billion (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 5.9 times as densely populated as Brazil
Brazil: 25 per km² (2025) · China: 150 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Brazil and China are practically level
Brazil: 175.7 cm (2019) · China: 175.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 1.1 cm taller than in Brazil
Brazil: 162.4 cm (2019) · China: 163.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 5.1 years older than in Brazil
Brazil: 33.9 years (2023) · China: 39.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Brazil have 0.6 more children on average than in China
Brazil: 1.61 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 11% in Brazil
Brazil: 11.5% (2025) · China: 14.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Brazil hosts 8,017 times as many refugees per resident as China
Brazil: 1.3 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, Brazil 0.0
Brazil: 0.047 (2026) · China: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Brazil and China are practically level
Brazil: 1 (2026) · China: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 8.6 times the size of Brazil’s
Brazil: $2.28 trillion (2025) · China: $19.5 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 25% more per person than Brazil
Brazil: Int$23,433 (2025) · China: Int$29,333 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Brazil than in China (Gini 14.3 points higher)
Brazil: 50.3 (2024) · China: 36 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
3.0% of people in Brazil live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
Brazil: 3% (2024) · China: 0% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Brazil, versus 4.6% in China
Brazil: 6% (2025) · China: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Brazil 1.1%
Brazil: 1.1% (2025) · China: 1.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Brazil’s central government collects 15% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
Brazil: 15.4% (2024) · China: 7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Brazil’s
Brazil: 46% (2025) · China: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Brazil spends 32% more on health per person than China
Brazil: $1,010 (2023) · China: $763 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 2 years longer than in Brazil
Brazil: 76 years (2024) · China: 78 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Brazil is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in China
Brazil: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024) · China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 32% more doctors per person than Brazil
Brazil: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 2.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Brazil
Brazil: 2.5 per 1,000 (2021) · China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Brazil is 10% higher than in China
Brazil: 8.8 per 100k (2023) · China: 8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Brazil are obese, versus 9.1% in China
Brazil: 30.9% (2024) · China: 9.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 12% in Brazil
Brazil: 11.9% (2024) · China: 22.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Brazil rate their lives 0.56 points higher than in China
Brazil: 6.63 (2025) · China: 6.07 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Brazil drink 2.8 times as much alcohol as in China
Brazil: 10.4 litres (2023) · China: 3.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Brazil has 42% more meat per person than China
Brazil: 104.6 kg (2023) · China: 73.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 103 kcal more food per person per day than Brazil
Brazil: 3,423 kcal (2023) · China: 3,527 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 334 more hours a year than in Brazil
Brazil: 1,994 hours (2023) · China: 2,328 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Brazil went to school 0.39 years longer than in China
Brazil: 8.4 years (2023) · China: 8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China welcomed 46% more tourists per resident than Brazil (2019)
Brazil: 0.03 (2024) · China: 0.05 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 35 more World Heritage sites than Brazil (61 against 26)
Brazil: 26 (2026) · China: 61 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Brazil 171
Brazil: 171 (2026 edition) · China: 819 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 84% in Brazil
Brazil: 84% (2024) · China: 92% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 24% faster than in Brazil
Brazil: 293 Mbps (2026) · China: 364 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Brazil are practically level
Brazil: 99.8% (2024) · China: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Brazil live in cities, versus 66% in China
Brazil: 88% (2025) · China: 66% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil 102
Brazil: 102 (2024) · China: 132 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 3.7 times as long as Brazil’s
Brazil: 29,850 km (2014) · China: 109,767 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Brazil fly 2% more passengers per resident than those from China
Brazil: 0.45 (2023) · China: 0.44 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 59% of Brazil, but only 24% of China
Brazil: 58.5% (2024) · China: 24% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 3.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Brazil
Brazil: 2.3 t (2024) · China: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Brazil’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
Brazil: 86.6% (2025) · China: 37% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Brazil
Brazil: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024) · China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 38 times as likely to be murdered in Brazil as in China
Brazil: 19.3 per 100k (2023) · China: 0.5 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Brazil are 5% deadlier than in China
Brazil: 25.9 per 100k (2023) · China: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Brazil is on average 17.5 °C warmer than China
Brazil: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Brazil gets 2 times as much rain as China
Brazil: 1,661 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 Brazil bigger than China?
China is larger. China is 12% bigger than Brazil.
Which has more people, Brazil or China?
China has 6.6 times as many people as Brazil (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Brazil or China?
People in China live 2 years longer than in Brazil. Life expectancy at birth is 76.0 years in Brazil and 78.0 in China.
Are people taller in Brazil or China?
Brazil and China are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
