Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ethiopia fits inside China 8.5 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Ethiopia: 1,129,820 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 4,299 m above Ethiopia’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 34% of Ethiopia
China: 41.7% (2024) · Ethiopia: 34.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 10 times as many people as Ethiopia
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Ethiopia: 135 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 24% more densely populated than Ethiopia
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Ethiopia: 121 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 6.8 cm taller than in Ethiopia
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 6.3 cm taller than in Ethiopia
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 20 years older than in Ethiopia
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 2.9 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia
China: 14.9% (2025) · Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ethiopia hosts 45,615 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Ethiopia: 7.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ethiopia 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Ethiopia: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
China and Ethiopia are practically level
China: 1 (2026) · Ethiopia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 154 times the size of Ethiopia’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 8.1 times as much per person as Ethiopia
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Ethiopia (Gini 4.9 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
39% of people in Ethiopia live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Ethiopia: 38.6% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia
China: 4.6% (2025) · Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.5%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Ethiopia: 0.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
China’s central government collects 7.0% of GDP in tax, Ethiopia’s 3.4%
China: 7% (2024) · Ethiopia: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Ethiopia’s
China: 47% (2025) · Ethiopia: 26% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 22 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia
China: $763 (2023) · Ethiopia: $35 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 10 years longer than in Ethiopia
China: 78 years (2024) · Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 8.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in China
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 22 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 17 times as many hospital beds per person as Ethiopia
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Ethiopia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2016)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ethiopia is 80% higher than in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Ethiopia: 14.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
9.1% of adults in China are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia
China: 9.1% (2024) · Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia
China: 22.8% (2024) · Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 2.09 points higher than in Ethiopia
China: 6.07 (2025) · Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 63% more alcohol than in Ethiopia
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 11 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 968 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 728 more hours a year than in Ethiopia
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in China went to school 5.6 years longer than in Ethiopia
China: 8 years (2023) · Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as Ethiopia (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Ethiopia: 0.0041 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 49 more World Heritage sites than Ethiopia (61 against 12)
China: 61 (2026) · Ethiopia: 12 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Ethiopia 62
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Ethiopia: 62 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia
China: 92% (2025) · Ethiopia: 22% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 17 times as fast as in Ethiopia
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Ethiopia: 22 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia
China: 100% (2024) · Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia
China: 66% (2025) · Ethiopia: 24% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65
China: 132 (2024) · Ethiopia: 65 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 146 times as long as Ethiopia’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Ethiopia: 754 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 3.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ethiopia
China: 0.44 (2023) · Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
China and Ethiopia are practically level
China: 24% (2024) · Ethiopia: 23.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 64 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Ethiopia: 100% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 55% more fine dust than in Ethiopia
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Ethiopia: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 3% deadlier than in Ethiopia
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Ethiopia: 23.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia is on average 16.1 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 18% more rain than China
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Ethiopia?
China is larger. Ethiopia fits inside China 8.5 times.
Which has more people, China or Ethiopia?
China has 10 times as many people as Ethiopia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Ethiopia?
People in China live 10 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 67.6 in Ethiopia.
Are people taller in China or Ethiopia?
Men in China are 6.8 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
