Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Kenya fits inside China 16 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · Kenya: 591,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 27 times as long as Kenya’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 3,650 m above Kenya’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 24 times as many people as Kenya.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Kenya: 57.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 51% more densely populated than Kenya.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Kenya: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 5.2 cm taller than in Kenya.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 4.0 cm taller than in Kenya.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 20 years older than in Kenya.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Kenya: 19.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kenya have 2.2 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Kenya: 3.17 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 3.0% in Kenya.
China: 14.9% (2025) · Kenya: 3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kenya has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · Kenya: 0.2 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, China 1.
China: 1 (2026) · Kenya: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 143 times the size of Kenya’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Kenya: $136 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 4.2 times as much per person as Kenya.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kenya than in China (Gini 2.5 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · Kenya: 38.5 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 4.6% in China.
China: 4.6% (2025) · Kenya: 5.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Kenya 1.0%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · Kenya: 1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Kenya’s.
China: 47% (2025) · Kenya: 34% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 9 times as much on health per person as Kenya.
China: $763 (2023) · Kenya: $85 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 14 years longer than in Kenya.
China: 78 years (2024) · Kenya: 63.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kenya is 8.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in China.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 11 times as many doctors per person as Kenya.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Kenya are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · Kenya: 10.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 9.6% in Kenya.
China: 22.8% (2024) · Kenya: 9.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 1.40 points higher than in Kenya.
China: 6.07 (2025) · Kenya: 4.67 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 64% more alcohol than in Kenya.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 7.2 times as much meat per person as Kenya.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 1,381 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 293 more hours a year than in Kenya.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kenya went to school 0.59 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · Kenya: 8.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China welcomed 68% more tourists per resident than Kenya (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · Kenya: 0.03 (2017)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 35% in Kenya.
China: 92% (2025) · Kenya: 35% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 77% in Kenya.
China: 100% (2024) · Kenya: 77% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya.
China: 66% (2025) · Kenya: 32% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kenya 126.
China: 132 (2024) · Kenya: 126 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 29 times as long as Kenya’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Kenya: 3,819 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 4.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kenya.
China: 0.44 (2023) · Kenya: 0.09 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of China, but only 6.2% of Kenya.
China: 24% (2023) · Kenya: 6.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 23 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kenya.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Kenya: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China.
China: 37% (2025) · Kenya: 90% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 42% more fine dust than in Kenya.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9.7 times as likely to be murdered in Kenya as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 62% deadlier than in China.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · Kenya: 28.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kenya is on average 17.9 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 17% more rain than Kenya.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Kenya?
China is larger. Kenya fits inside China 16 times.
Which has more people, China or Kenya?
China has 24 times as many people as Kenya (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Kenya?
People in China live 14 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 63.8 in Kenya.
Are people taller in China or Kenya?
Men in China are 5.2 cm taller than in Kenya (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
