Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Russia is 79% bigger than China
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 2.6 times as long as China’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 3,207 m above Russia’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 13% of Russia
China: 41.7% (2024) · Russia: 13.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 9.8 times as many people as Russia
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 17 times as densely populated as Russia
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Russia are 1.0 cm taller than in China
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Russia are 1.1 cm taller than in China
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Russia is 0.39 years older than in China
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Russia have 0.4 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Russia are 65 or older, versus 15% in China
China: 14.9% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Russia hosts 503 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Russia has produced 2.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Russia: 2 (2026)
How many official languages?
China and Russia are practically level
China: 1 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 7.6 times the size of Russia’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Russia produces 69% more per person than China
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Russia (Gini 3 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Russia and China are practically level
China: 0% (2022) · Russia: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 2.1% in Russia
China: 4.6% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, China 1.7%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Russia: 7.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Russia’s central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Russia: 10.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Russia’s
China: 47% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Russia spends 31% more on health per person than China
China: $763 (2023) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 4.6 years longer than in Russia
China: 78 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
China and Russia are nearly identical here
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 64% more doctors per person than China
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Russia has 21% more hospital beds per person than China
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 2.5 times that in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Russia are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 23% in China
China: 22.8% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 0.24 points higher than in Russia
China: 6.07 (2025) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 2.8 times as much alcohol as in China
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 15% more meat per person than China
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Russia and China are practically level
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 241 more hours a year than in Russia
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Russia went to school 4.4 years longer than in China
China: 8 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China: 0.05 (2019) · Russia: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 28 more World Heritage sites than Russia (61 against 33)
China: 61 (2026) · Russia: 33 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Russia 539
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Russia: 539 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Russia are online, versus 92% in China
China: 92% (2025) · Russia: 94% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Russia: no data
Who has electricity at home?
China and Russia are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
75% of people in Russia live in cities, versus 66% in China
China: 66% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, China 132
China: 132 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 28% longer than Russia’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Russia fly 56% more passengers per resident than those from China
China: 0.44 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Russia: 50.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 42% more CO₂ than someone in China
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia
China: 37% (2025) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in Russia
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 16 times as likely to be murdered in Russia as in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 84% deadlier than in Russia
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
China is on average 10.4 °C warmer than Russia
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 39% more rain than Russia
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. Russia is 79% bigger than China.
Which has more people, China or Russia?
China has 9.8 times as many people as Russia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Russia?
People in China live 4.6 years longer than in Russia. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in China or Russia?
Men in Russia are 1.0 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
