Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Mexico fits inside China 4.9 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 55% longer than Mexico’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 3,213 m above Mexico’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 11 times as many people as Mexico.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Mexico: 132 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 2.2 times as densely populated as Mexico.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Mexico: 68 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 5.4 cm taller than in Mexico.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 5.6 cm taller than in Mexico.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 10 years older than in Mexico.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Mexico: 28.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mexico have 0.9 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Mexico: 1.89 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 8.5% in Mexico.
China: 14.9% (2025) · Mexico: 8.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Mexico has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · Mexico: 0.2 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and Mexico are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · Mexico: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 11 times the size of Mexico’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 13% more per person than Mexico.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in China (Gini 6.6 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · Mexico: 42.6 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 2.7% in Mexico.
China: 4.6% (2025) · Mexico: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.9%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · Mexico: 0.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Mexico’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× China’s.
China: 47% (2025) · Mexico: 54% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China and Mexico are nearly identical here.
China: $763 (2023) · Mexico: $761 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 2.8 years longer than in Mexico.
China: 78 years (2024) · Mexico: 75.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mexico is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in China.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 20% more doctors per person than Mexico.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · Mexico: 37.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 16% in Mexico.
China: 22.8% (2024) · Mexico: 15.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 0.90 points higher than in China.
China: 6.07 (2025) · Mexico: 6.97 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mexico drink 81% more alcohol than in China.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 6% more meat per person than China.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 222 kcal more food per person per day than Mexico.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 699 more hours a year than in Mexico.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Mexico went to school 1.3 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · Mexico: 9.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 7.4 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · Mexico: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 83% in Mexico.
China: 92% (2025) · Mexico: 83% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Mexico are practically level.
China: 100% (2024) · Mexico: 99.8% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Mexico live in cities, versus 66% in China.
China: 66% (2025) · Mexico: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116.
China: 132 (2024) · Mexico: 116 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 4.7 times as long as Mexico’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Mexico: 23,389 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Mexico fly 36% more passengers per resident than those from China.
China: 0.44 (2023) · Mexico: 0.6 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Mexico, but only 24% of China.
China: 24% (2023) · Mexico: 33.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mexico.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Mexico: 3.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mexico.
China: 37% (2025) · Mexico: 23.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 71% more fine dust than in Mexico.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 50 times as likely to be murdered in Mexico as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 45% deadlier than in Mexico.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mexico is on average 13.6 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 3% more rain than Mexico.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Mexico?
China is larger. Mexico fits inside China 4.9 times.
Which has more people, China or Mexico?
China has 11 times as many people as Mexico (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Mexico?
People in China live 2.8 years longer than in Mexico. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 75.3 in Mexico.
Are people taller in China or Mexico?
Men in China are 5.4 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
