Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United States is 3% bigger than China.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 37% longer than China’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 2,659 m above the United States’.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 4.1 times as many people as the United States.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 4 times as densely populated as the United States.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 1.3 cm taller than in China.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
China and the United States are practically level.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 1 year older than in the United States.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.6 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 15% in China.
China: 14.9% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and the United States are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 58% larger than China’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 3.1 times as much per person as China.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in China (Gini 5.8 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
China and the United States are practically level.
China: 4.6% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, China 1.7%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.1× China’s.
China: 47% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 18 times as much on health per person as China.
China: $763 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 0.87 years longer than in China.
China: 78 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 34% more likely to die before turning one than in China.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 18% more doctors per person than China.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
China: 22.8% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 0.74 points higher than in China.
China: 6.07 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 2.6 times as much alcohol as in China.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 66% more meat per person than China.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 420 kcal more food per person per day than China.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 539 more hours a year than in the United States.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 5.9 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 4.6 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 92% in China.
China: 92% (2025) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
China and the United States are practically level.
China: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 66% in China.
China: 66% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
China: 132 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 35% longer than China’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 6.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from China.
China: 0.44 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 24% of China.
China: 24% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 64% more CO₂ than someone in China.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
China: 37% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 4.2 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 11 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 23% deadlier than in the United States.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United States is on average 2.5 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 4% more rain than China.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. The United States is 3% bigger than China.
Which has more people, China or the United States?
China has 4.1 times as many people as the United States (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or the United States?
People in the United States live 0.87 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in China or the United States?
Men in the United States are 1.3 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
