Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Romania fits inside China 40 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Romania: 238,397 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 64 times as long as Romania’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 6,305 m above Romania’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Romania, versus 42% of China
China: 41.7% (2024) · Romania: 55.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 74 times as many people as Romania
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 81% more densely populated than Romania
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 2.2 cm taller than in China
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 1.3 cm taller than in China
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 3.6 years older than in China
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Romania have 0.4 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 15% in China
China: 14.9% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Romania hosts 66,451 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Romania: 10.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Romania: 2.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
China and Romania are practically level
China: 1 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 45 times the size of Romania’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Romania produces 74% more per person than China
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Romania (Gini 6.2 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.7% of people in Romania live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Romania: 0.7% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 4.6% in China
China: 4.6% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, China 1.7%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Romania: 2.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Romania’s central government collects 16% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Romania: 16.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Romania’s
China: 47% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Romania spends 38% more on health per person than China
China: $763 (2023) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 1.6 years longer than in Romania
China: 78 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 46% more likely to die before turning one than in China
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 16% more doctors per person than China
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Romania has 28% more hospital beds per person than China
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Romania: 7.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Romania is 2% higher than in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 8.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 23% in China
China: 22.8% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 0.55 points higher than in China
China: 6.07 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 4.6 times as much alcohol as in China
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 2% more meat per person than Romania
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 122 kcal more food per person per day than China
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 502 more hours a year than in Romania
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Romania went to school 3.5 years longer than in China
China: 8 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Romania welcomed 15 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 50 more World Heritage sites than Romania (61 against 11)
China: 61 (2026) · Romania: 11 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Romania 318
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Romania: 318 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
China and Romania are practically level
China: 92% (2025) · Romania: 91% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 15% faster than in Romania
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Romania: 316 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Romania are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 52% in Romania
China: 66% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120
China: 132 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 10 times as long as Romania’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania
China: 0.44 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Romania: 30.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Romania
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in Romania
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.2 times as likely to be murdered in Romania as in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 82% deadlier than in Romania
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 13.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Romania is on average 3.2 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 7% more rain than Romania
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Romania?
China is larger. Romania fits inside China 40 times.
Which has more people, China or Romania?
China has 74 times as many people as Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Romania?
People in China live 1.6 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in China or Romania?
Men in Romania are 2.2 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
