Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Colombia fits inside China 8.4 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 4.5 times as long as Colombia’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 3,119 m above Colombia’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 26 times as many people as Colombia.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Colombia: 53.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 3.1 times as densely populated as Colombia.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Colombia: 48 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 3.8 cm taller than in Colombia.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 5.5 cm taller than in Colombia.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Colombia: 158 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 7.5 years older than in Colombia.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Colombia: 31.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Colombia have 0.6 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 10% in Colombia.
China: 14.9% (2025) · Colombia: 10.2% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Colombia has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · Colombia: 0.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and Colombia are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · Colombia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 43 times the size of Colombia’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Colombia: $457 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 30% more per person than Colombia.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in China (Gini 18.4 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · Colombia: 54.4 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 4.6% in China.
China: 4.6% (2025) · Colombia: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, China 1.7%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · Colombia: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Colombia’s.
China: 47% (2025) · Colombia: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 18% more on health per person than Colombia.
China: $763 (2023) · Colombia: $644 (2024)
How long do people live?
China and Colombia are practically level.
China: 78 years (2024) · Colombia: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in China.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 23% more doctors per person than Colombia.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
25% of adults in Colombia are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · Colombia: 25.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
China: 22.8% (2024) · Colombia: 8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 0.03 points higher than in Colombia.
China: 6.07 (2025) · Colombia: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Colombia drink 32% more alcohol than in China.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 17% more meat per person than Colombia.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 401 kcal more food per person per day than Colombia.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 143 more hours a year than in China.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Colombia went to school 1 year longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · Colombia: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Colombia welcomed 87% more tourists per resident than China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · Colombia: 0.09 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
China: 92% (2025) · Colombia: 79% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
China: 100% (2024) · Colombia: 98.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Colombia live in cities, versus 66% in China.
China: 66% (2025) · Colombia: 79% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, China 132.
China: 132 (2024) · Colombia: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 51 times as long as Colombia’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Colombia: 2,141 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 80% more passengers per resident than those from China.
China: 0.44 (2023) · Colombia: 0.79 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 53% of Colombia, but only 24% of China.
China: 24% (2023) · Colombia: 52.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 4.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Colombia: 1.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China.
China: 37% (2025) · Colombia: 77% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Colombia.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 50 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 7% deadlier than in Colombia.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 16.6 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 3.9 times as much rain as China.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Colombia?
China is larger. Colombia fits inside China 8.4 times.
Which has more people, China or Colombia?
China has 26 times as many people as Colombia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Colombia?
China and Colombia are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 77.9 in Colombia.
Are people taller in China or Colombia?
Men in China are 3.8 cm taller than in Colombia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
