Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nepal fits inside China 65 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Nepal: 147,181 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Nepal: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China and Nepal are practically level
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Nepal: 8,849 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 26% of Nepal
China: 41.7% (2024) · Nepal: 26.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 47 times as many people as Nepal
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Nepal: 29.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nepal is 38% more densely populated than China
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Nepal: 207 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 11.3 cm taller than in Nepal
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Nepal: 164.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 11.1 cm taller than in Nepal
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Nepal: 152.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 14 years older than in Nepal
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Nepal: 24.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nepal have 0.9 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Nepal: 1.96 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 6.6% in Nepal
China: 14.9% (2025) · Nepal: 6.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Nepal hosts 4,050 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Nepal: 0.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nepal none
China: 0.1 (2026) · Nepal: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
China and Nepal are practically level
China: 1 (2026) · Nepal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 429 times the size of Nepal’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Nepal: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 4.8 times as much per person as Nepal
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Nepal: Int$6,175 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Nepal (Gini 6 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Nepal: 30 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.4% of people in Nepal live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Nepal: 2.4% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Nepal, versus 4.6% in China
China: 4.6% (2025) · Nepal: 10.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Nepal 1.0%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Nepal: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Nepal’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Nepal: 13.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Nepal’s
China: 47% (2025) · Nepal: 25% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 9.1 times as much on health per person as Nepal
China: $763 (2023) · Nepal: $84 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 7.4 years longer than in Nepal
China: 78 years (2024) · Nepal: 70.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nepal is 5.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in China
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Nepal: 22.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 3.1 times as many doctors per person as Nepal
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Nepal: 1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 10 times as many hospital beds per person as Nepal
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Nepal: 0.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Nepal is 2.3 times that in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Nepal: 18 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
9.1% of adults in China are obese, versus 7.7% in Nepal
China: 9.1% (2024) · Nepal: 7.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Nepal smoke, versus 23% in China
China: 22.8% (2024) · Nepal: 28.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 0.93 points higher than in Nepal
China: 6.07 (2025) · Nepal: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 87% more alcohol than in Nepal
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Nepal: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 5.1 times as much meat per person as Nepal
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Nepal: 14.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 607 kcal more food per person per day than Nepal
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Nepal: 2,920 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Nepal: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in China went to school 3.5 years longer than in Nepal
China: 8 years (2023) · Nepal: 4.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China welcomed 2.3 times as many tourists per resident as Nepal (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Nepal: 0.02 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 57 more World Heritage sites than Nepal (61 against 4)
China: 61 (2026) · Nepal: 4 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Nepal none
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Nepal: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 46% in Nepal
China: 92% (2025) · Nepal: 46% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 3.1 times as fast as in Nepal
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Nepal: 116 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 98% in Nepal
China: 100% (2024) · Nepal: 97.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
67% of people in Nepal live in cities, versus 66% in China
China: 66% (2025) · Nepal: 67% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nepal 100
China: 132 (2024) · Nepal: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 1,860 times as long as Nepal’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Nepal: 59 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nepal
China: 0.44 (2023) · Nepal: 0.14 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 44% of Nepal, but only 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Nepal: 43.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 14 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nepal
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Nepal: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Nepal’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Nepal: 100% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nepal carries 30% more fine dust than in China
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Nepal: 40.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.2 times as likely to be murdered in Nepal as in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Nepal: 2.1 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nepal are 2.3 times as deadly as in China
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Nepal: 56 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nepal is on average 5.8 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nepal: 13.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nepal gets 2.7 times as much rain as China
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nepal: 2,197 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Nepal?
China is larger. Nepal fits inside China 65 times.
Which has more people, China or Nepal?
China has 47 times as many people as Nepal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Nepal?
People in China live 7.4 years longer than in Nepal. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 70.6 in Nepal.
Are people taller in China or Nepal?
Men in China are 11.3 cm taller than in Nepal (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
