Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Canada is 63% bigger than China
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2024) · China: 9,562,910 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 14 times as long as China’s
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · China: 14,500 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 2,890 m above Canada’s
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · China: 8,849 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 6.5% of Canada
Canada: 6.5% (2024) · China: 41.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 34 times as many people as Canada
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · China: 1.41 billion (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 32 times as densely populated as Canada
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · China: 150 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Canada are 3.1 cm taller than in China
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · China: 175.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Canada are 1.3 cm taller than in China
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · China: 163.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Canada is 1.3 years older than in China
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · China: 39.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Canada have 0.2 more children on average than in China
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · China: 1.01 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Canada are 65 or older, versus 15% in China
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · China: 14.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Canada hosts 61,084 times as many refugees per resident as China
Canada: 10 per 1,000 (2025) · China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Canada has produced 5.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1
Canada: 5.5 (2026) · China: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Canada has 2 official languages, China 1
Canada: 2 (2026) · China: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 8.4 times the size of Canada’s
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · China: $19.5 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Canada produces 2.3 times as much per person as China
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · China: Int$29,333 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Canada (Gini 4.5 points higher)
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · China: 36 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Canada and China are practically level
Canada: 0.3% (2022) · China: 0% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 4.6% in China
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · China: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China and Canada are practically level
Canada: 1.6% (2025) · China: 1.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Canada’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
Canada: 13.7% (2024) · China: 7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Canada’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× China’s
Canada: 83% (2025) · China: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Canada spends 8.4 times as much on health per person as China
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · China: $763 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Canada live 4.1 years longer than in China
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · China: 78 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Canada is 15% more likely to die before turning one than in China
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 10% more doctors per person than Canada
Canada: 2.8 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 Canada
Canada: 2.5 per 1,000 (2022) · China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Canada is 5% higher than in China
Canada: 8.4 per 100k (2023) · China: 8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Canada are obese, versus 9.1% in China
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · China: 9.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 11% in Canada
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · China: 22.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Canada rate their lives 0.67 points higher than in China
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · China: 6.07 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Canada drink 2.5 times as much alcohol as in China
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · China: 3.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Canada has 29% more meat per person than China
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · China: 73.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Canada has 63 kcal more food per person per day than China
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · China: 3,527 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 597 more hours a year than in Canada
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · China: 2,328 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Canada went to school 5.8 years longer than in China
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · China: 8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Canada welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019)
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · China: 0.05 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 39 more World Heritage sites than Canada (61 against 22)
Canada: 22 (2026) · China: 61 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Canada 597
Canada: 597 (2026 edition) · China: 819 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Canada are online, versus 92% in China
Canada: 94% (2024) · China: 92% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 2% faster than in Canada
Canada: 357 Mbps (2026) · China: 364 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and China are practically level
Canada: 100% (2024) · China: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in Canada live in cities, versus 66% in China
Canada: 83% (2025) · China: 66% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94
Canada: 94 (2024) · China: 132 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as Canada’s
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · China: 109,767 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Canada fly 4.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from China
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · China: 0.44 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 42% of Canada, but only 24% of China
Canada: 42% (2024) · China: 24% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Canada emits 55% more CO₂ than someone in China
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · China: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
64% of Canada’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · China: 37% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 4.5 times as much fine dust as in Canada
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.9 times as likely to be murdered in Canada as in China
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · China: 0.5 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 3.3 times as deadly as in Canada
Canada: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · China: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
China is on average 10.8 °C warmer than Canada
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 19% more rain than Canada
Canada: 683 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 Canada bigger than China?
Canada is larger. Canada is 63% bigger than China.
Which has more people, Canada or China?
China has 34 times as many people as Canada (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or China?
People in Canada live 4.1 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 78.0 in China.
Are people taller in Canada or China?
Men in Canada are 3.1 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
