China vs United States — Country Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of China and United States across population, economy, quality of life, and more. Data updated 2026.

How do China and United States compare? China, located in East and Southeast Asia, has a population of 1.4B and covers an area of 9.6M km². Its GDP (PPP) stands at $33.6T with a GDP per capita of $23,800. United States, in North America, has a population of 338.0M across 9.8M km², with a GDP of $25.7T and GDP per capita of $75,500. In terms of quality of life, China has a life expectancy of 78.7 years compared to United States's 80.9 years.

Demographics

IndicatorChinaUnited States
Population1,407,181,209338,016,259
Birth Rate7.310.8
Death Rate8.08.8
Life Expectancy78.780.9
Literacy Rate96.7%-

Economy

IndicatorChinaUnited States
GDP (PPP)$33.60T$25.68T
GDP per Capita$23,800$75,500
Unemployment4.6%4.2%
Inflation0.2%2.9%
Public Debt (% GDP)47114.8

Geography

IndicatorChinaUnited States
Area (km²)9,596,9609,833,517
Coastline (km)14,50019,924
Highest Elevation (m)8,8496,190

Military & Security

IndicatorChinaUnited States
Military Spending (% GDP)1.50%3.20%
Military Personnel2,000,0001,280,000

Infrastructure

IndicatorChinaUnited States
Internet Users78.0%93.0%
Electricity Consumption8,894,000,000,0004,085,000,000,000
Oil Production (bbl/day)4,984,00020,953,000
China
United States

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