Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam fits inside China 29 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 4.2 times as long as Vietnam’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 5,705 m above Vietnam’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 39% of Vietnam
China: 41.7% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 14 times as many people as Vietnam
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 2.2 times as densely populated as China
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 6.8 cm taller than in Vietnam
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 5.0 cm taller than in Vietnam
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 6.6 years older than in Vietnam
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.9 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam
China: 14.9% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
China hosts 28% more refugees per resident than Vietnam
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vietnam has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
China and Vietnam are practically level
China: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 38 times the size of Vietnam’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 62% more per person than Vietnam
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Vietnam and China are practically level
China: 36 (2022) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.6% of people in Vietnam live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
China: 4.6% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam and China are practically level
China: 1.7% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
China: 7% (2024) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Vietnam’s
China: 47% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 3.9 times as much on health per person as Vietnam
China: $763 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 3.3 years longer than in Vietnam
China: 78 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 2.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in China
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 2.8 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 2.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Vietnam
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vietnam is 25% higher than in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
9.1% of adults in China are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
China: 9.1% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 21% in Vietnam
China: 22.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 0.35 points higher than in China
China: 6.07 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 2.9 times as much alcohol as in China
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 22% more meat per person than Vietnam
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 441 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 167 more hours a year than in Vietnam
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Vietnam went to school 0.94 years longer than in China
China: 8 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Vietnam welcomed 74% more tourists per resident than China (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 52 more World Heritage sites than Vietnam (61 against 9)
China: 61 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 84% in Vietnam
China: 92% (2025) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 50% faster than in Vietnam
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Vietnam are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
China: 66% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam 128
China: 132 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 35 times as long as Vietnam’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vietnam fly 23% more passengers per resident than those from China
China: 0.44 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vietnam
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 22% more fine dust than in Vietnam
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 34% deadlier than in Vietnam
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 16.5 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 2.6 times as much rain as China
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Vietnam?
China is larger. Vietnam fits inside China 29 times.
Which has more people, China or Vietnam?
China has 14 times as many people as Vietnam (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Vietnam?
People in China live 3.3 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in China or Vietnam?
Men in China are 6.8 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
