Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Chile fits inside China 13 times.
Chile: 757,245 km² (2023) · China: 9,562,910 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 2.3 times as long as Chile’s.
Chile: 6,435 km (2026 edition) · China: 14,500 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 1,956 m above Chile’s.
Chile: 6,893 m (2026 edition) · China: 8,849 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 71 times as many people as Chile.
Chile: 19.9 million (2025) · China: 1.41 billion (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 5.6 times as densely populated as Chile.
Chile: 27 per km² (2025) · China: 150 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 2.8 cm taller than in Chile.
Chile: 172.9 cm (2019) · China: 175.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 4.0 cm taller than in Chile.
Chile: 159.4 cm (2019) · China: 163.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 3.1 years older than in Chile.
Chile: 36 years (2023) · China: 39.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Chile have 0.1 more children on average than in China.
Chile: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · China: 1.01 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
China and Chile are practically level.
Chile: 14.6% (2025) · China: 14.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Chile has produced 1.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
Chile: 1 (2025) · China: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Chile and China are practically level.
Chile: 1 (2026) · China: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 55 times the size of Chile’s.
Chile: $357 billion (2025) · China: $19.5 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Chile produces 29% more per person than China.
Chile: Int$37,774 (2025) · China: Int$29,333 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Chile than in China (Gini 7 points higher).
Chile: 43 (2024) · China: 36 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.0% in Chile, versus 4.6% in China.
Chile: 9% (2025) · China: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China and Chile are practically level.
Chile: 1.6% (2024) · China: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Chile and China are nearly identical here.
Chile: 48% (2025) · China: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Chile spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as China.
Chile: $1,760 (2024) · China: $763 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Chile live 3.3 years longer than in China.
Chile: 81.4 years (2024) · China: 78 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Chile is 41% more likely to die before turning one than in China.
Chile: 5.8 per 1,000 (2024) · China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Chile has 7% more doctors per person than China.
Chile: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
41% of adults in Chile are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
Chile: 41.1% (2024) · China: 9.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Chile smoke, versus 23% in China.
Chile: 26.7% (2024) · China: 22.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Chile rate their lives 0.23 points higher than in China.
Chile: 6.30 (2025) · China: 6.07 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Chile drink 79% more alcohol than in China.
Chile: 6.6 litres (2023) · China: 3.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Chile has 34% more meat per person than China.
Chile: 98.5 kg (2023) · China: 73.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 469 kcal more food per person per day than Chile.
Chile: 3,057 kcal (2023) · China: 3,527 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 378 more hours a year than in Chile.
Chile: 1,950 hours (2023) · China: 2,328 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Chile went to school 3.3 years longer than in China.
Chile: 11.3 years (2023) · China: 8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Chile welcomed 5.7 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
Chile: 0.27 (2024) · China: 0.05 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Chile are online, versus 92% in China.
Chile: 96% (2024) · China: 92% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 99% in Chile.
Chile: 99% (2024) · China: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Chile live in cities, versus 66% in China.
Chile: 89% (2025) · China: 66% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Chile has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, China 132.
Chile: 133 (2024) · China: 132 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 46 times as long as Chile’s.
Chile: 2,396 km (2021) · China: 109,767 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Chile fly 2.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from China.
Chile: 1.07 (2023) · China: 0.44 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of Chile, but only 24% of China.
Chile: 25% (2023) · China: 24% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Chile.
Chile: 4 t (2024) · China: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
66% of Chile’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China.
Chile: 66.4% (2025) · China: 37% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 35% more fine dust than in Chile.
Chile: 23.2 µg/m³ (2024) · China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 13 times as likely to be murdered in Chile as in China.
Chile: 6.3 per 100k (2023) · China: 0.5 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 69% deadlier than in Chile.
Chile: 10.3 per 100k (2021) · China: 17.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Chile is on average 1.6 °C warmer than China.
Chile: 9.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Chile gets 75% more rain than China.
Chile: 1,425 mm (2016–2025 avg) · China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Chile bigger than China?
China is larger. Chile fits inside China 13 times.
Which has more people, Chile or China?
China has 71 times as many people as Chile (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Chile or China?
People in Chile live 3.3 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years in Chile and 78.0 in China.
Are people taller in Chile or China?
Men in China are 2.8 cm taller than in Chile (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
