Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Norway fits inside China 15 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Norway: 624,500 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Norway’s coastline is 73% longer than China’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Norway: 25,148 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 6,380 m above Norway’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Norway: 2,469 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 2.7% of Norway
China: 41.7% (2024) · Norway: 2.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 251 times as many people as Norway
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Norway: 5.61 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 9.7 times as densely populated as Norway
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Norway: 15 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Norway are 4.8 cm taller than in China
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Norway: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Norway are 3.0 cm taller than in China
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Norway: 166.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Norway is 0.47 years older than in China
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Norway: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Norway have 0.4 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Norway: 1.45 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Norway are 65 or older, versus 15% in China
China: 14.9% (2025) · Norway: 19.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Norway hosts 135,160 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Norway: 22.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Norway has produced 23.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Norway: 23.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Norway has 3 official languages, China 1
China: 1 (2026) · Norway: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 37 times the size of Norway’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Norway: $531 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Norway produces 3.5 times as much per person as China
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Norway: Int$104,044 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Norway (Gini 9.5 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Norway: 26.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Norway and China are practically level
China: 0% (2022) · Norway: 0.2% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Norway and China are practically level
China: 4.6% (2025) · Norway: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Norway spends 3.3% of its GDP on the military, China 1.7%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Norway: 3.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Norway’s central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Norway: 24.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Norway’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× China’s
China: 47% (2025) · Norway: 91% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Norway spends 11 times as much on health per person as China
China: $763 (2023) · Norway: $8,296 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Norway live 5.1 years longer than in China
China: 78 years (2024) · Norway: 83.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in China is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Norway
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Norway: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Norway has 60% more doctors per person than China
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Norway: 5 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 71% more hospital beds per person than Norway
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Norway: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Norway is 45% higher than in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Norway are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Norway: 20.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 13% in Norway
China: 22.8% (2024) · Norway: 12.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Norway rate their lives 1.17 points higher than in China
China: 6.07 (2025) · Norway: 7.24 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Norway drink 89% more alcohol than in China
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Norway: 7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 4% more meat per person than Norway
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Norway: 70.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 51 kcal more food per person per day than Norway
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Norway: 3,476 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 916 more hours a year than in Norway
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Norway: 1,412 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Norway went to school 5.1 years longer than in China
China: 8 years (2023) · Norway: 13.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Norway welcomed 20 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Norway: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 53 more World Heritage sites than Norway (61 against 8)
China: 61 (2026) · Norway: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Norway 616
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Norway: 616 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
99% of people in Norway are online, versus 92% in China
China: 92% (2025) · Norway: 99% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 59% faster than in Norway
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Norway: 228 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Norway are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Norway: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in Norway live in cities, versus 66% in China
China: 66% (2025) · Norway: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Norway 109
China: 132 (2024) · Norway: 109 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 28 times as long as Norway’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Norway: 3,885 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
China: 0.44 (2023) · Norway: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Norway, but only 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Norway: 33.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 30% more CO₂ than someone in Norway
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Norway: 6.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
99% of Norway’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Norway: 99% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 4.7 times as much fine dust as in Norway
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Norway: 6.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 44% more likely to be murdered in Norway than in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Norway: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 8.5 times as deadly as in Norway
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 2.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
China is on average 6.2 °C warmer than Norway
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Norway gets 55% more rain than China
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1,259 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Norway?
China is larger. Norway fits inside China 15 times.
Which has more people, China or Norway?
China has 251 times as many people as Norway (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Norway?
People in Norway live 5.1 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 83.2 in Norway.
Are people taller in China or Norway?
Men in Norway are 4.8 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
