Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Spain fits inside China 19 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Spain: 505,981 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 2.9 times as long as Spain’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 5,131 m above Spain’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Spain, versus 42% of China
China: 41.7% (2024) · Spain: 49.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 28 times as many people as Spain
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Spain: 49.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 52% more densely populated than Spain
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Spain: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Spain and China are practically level
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Spain: 176.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 1.4 cm taller than in Spain
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Spain: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 5.8 years older than in China
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Spain: 44.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Spain have 0.1 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 15% in China
China: 14.9% (2025) · Spain: 21.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Spain hosts 63,327 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Spain: 10.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Spain has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Spain: 1.4 (2026)
How many official languages?
China and Spain are practically level
China: 1 (2026) · Spain: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 10 times the size of Spain’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Spain produces 2 times as much per person as China
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Spain: Int$59,868 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Spain (Gini 2.6 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Spain: 33.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.8% of people in Spain live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Spain: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 4.6% in China
China: 4.6% (2025) · Spain: 10.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Spain and China are practically level
China: 1.7% (2025) · Spain: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Spain’s central government collects 15% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Spain: 14.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Spain’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× China’s
China: 47% (2025) · Spain: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Spain spends 4.1 times as much on health per person as China
China: $763 (2023) · Spain: $3,107 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 5.9 years longer than in China
China: 78 years (2024) · Spain: 83.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in China is 58% more likely to die before turning one than in Spain
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 38% more doctors per person than China
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 93% more hospital beds per person than Spain
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Spain: 2.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in China is 13% higher than in Spain
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 7.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Spain are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Spain: 18.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 23% in China
China: 22.8% (2024) · Spain: 27.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Spain rate their lives 0.47 points higher than in China
China: 6.07 (2025) · Spain: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in China
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Spain: 12.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 37% more meat per person than China
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Spain: 100.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 150 kcal more food per person per day than Spain
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 690 more hours a year than in Spain
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Spain: 1,638 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Spain went to school 2.7 years longer than in China
China: 8 years (2023) · Spain: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 41 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Spain: 1.92 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 11 more World Heritage sites than Spain (61 against 50)
China: 61 (2026) · Spain: 50 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Spain 195
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Spain: 195 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Spain are online, versus 92% in China
China: 92% (2025) · Spain: 96% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 12% faster than in Spain
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Spain: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Spain are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Spain: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in Spain live in cities, versus 66% in China
China: 66% (2025) · Spain: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Spain 130
China: 132 (2024) · Spain: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 6.9 times as long as Spain’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Spain: 15,963 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 4.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from China
China: 0.44 (2023) · Spain: 1.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of Spain, but only 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Spain: 38.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 88% more CO₂ than someone in Spain
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Spain: 4.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Spain: 55.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 3.1 times as much fine dust as in Spain
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 38% more likely to be murdered in Spain than in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 4 times as deadly as in Spain
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 6.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Spain is on average 7.0 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 22% more rain than Spain
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Spain?
China is larger. Spain fits inside China 19 times.
Which has more people, China or Spain?
China has 28 times as many people as Spain (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Spain?
People in Spain live 5.9 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 83.9 in Spain.
Are people taller in China or Spain?
Spain and China are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
