Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside China 39 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 17% longer than the United Kingdom’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 7,504 m above the United Kingdom’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 20 times as many people as the United Kingdom.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 92% more densely populated than China.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 2.6 cm taller than in China.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The United Kingdom and China are practically level.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 0.72 years older than in China.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.5 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 15% in China.
China: 14.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and the United Kingdom are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 4.9 times the size of the United Kingdom’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 2.2 times as much per person as China.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in the United Kingdom (Gini 3.6 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
The United Kingdom and China are practically level.
China: 4.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, China 1.7%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× China’s.
China: 47% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 7.7 times as much on health per person as China.
China: $763 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 3.4 years longer than in China.
China: 78 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
China and the United Kingdom are nearly identical here.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 6% more doctors per person than China.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
China: 22.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.62 points higher than in China.
China: 6.07 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 2.8 times as much alcohol as in China.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 15% more meat per person than China.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 92 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 805 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 5.5 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 92% in China.
China: 92% (2025) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
China and the United Kingdom are practically level.
China: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 66% in China.
China: 66% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
China: 132 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 6.8 times as long as the United Kingdom’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 3.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from China.
China: 0.44 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of China, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
China: 24% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 91% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China.
China: 37% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 3.6 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.2 times as likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 7.3 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Kingdom is on average 2.1 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 32% more rain than China.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than the United Kingdom?
China is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside China 39 times.
Which has more people, China or the United Kingdom?
China has 20 times as many people as the United Kingdom (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 3.4 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in China or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 2.6 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
