World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside China 86 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 33 times as long as the median country’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 6,514 m above the median country’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 190 times as many people as the median country.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 52% more densely populated than the median country.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 2.1 cm taller than in the median country.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 2.9 cm taller than in the median country.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 7.9 years older than in the median country.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.9 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
China: 14.9% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country 0.0.
China: 0.1 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and the median country are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 429 times the size of the median country’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 39% more per person than the median country.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in the median country (Gini 1.6 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 4.6% in China.
China: 4.6% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China and the median country are practically level.
China: 1.7% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the median country’s.
China: 47% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 62% more on health per person than the median country.
China: $763 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 3.4 years longer than in the median country.
China: 78 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 3.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in China.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 86% more doctors per person than the median country.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
China: 22.8% (2024) · World median: 19% (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 the median country.
China: 6.07 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 18% more alcohol than in China.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 31% more meat per person than the median country.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 589 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 353 more hours a year than in the median country.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 1.9 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 7.4 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 82% in the median country.
China: 92% (2025) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
China and the median country are practically level.
China: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
China: 66% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
China: 132 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 51 times as long as the median country’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 84% more passengers per resident than those from the median country.
China: 0.44 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 24% of China.
China: 24% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 2.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
China: 37% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 89% more fine dust than in the median country.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.5 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 41% deadlier than in the median country.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 15.1 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 25% more rain than China.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than the median country?
China is larger. The median country fits inside China 86 times.
Which has more people, China or the median country?
China has 190 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or the median country?
People in China live 3.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in China or the median country?
Men in China are 2.1 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
