Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
China is 12% bigger than Brazil.
Brazil: 8,510,420 km² (2023) · China: 9,562,910 km² (2023)
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)
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 Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Brazil 0.0.
Brazil: 0 (2025) · China: 0.1 (2025)
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 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 1.0%.
Brazil: 1% (2024) · China: 1.7% (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 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)
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)
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: 59% (2023) · China: 24% (2023)
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 China are 11% deadlier than in Brazil.
Brazil: 15.7 per 100k (2021) · China: 17.4 per 100k (2021)
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)
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).
