United States vs China — Country Comparison

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

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

Demographics

IndicatorUnited StatesChina
Population338,016,2591,407,181,209
Birth Rate10.87.3
Death Rate8.88.0
Life Expectancy80.978.7
Literacy Rate-96.7%

Economy

IndicatorUnited StatesChina
GDP (PPP)$25.68T$33.60T
GDP per Capita$75,500$23,800
Unemployment4.2%4.6%
Inflation2.9%0.2%
Public Debt (% GDP)114.847

Geography

IndicatorUnited StatesChina
Area (km²)9,833,5179,596,960
Coastline (km)19,92414,500
Highest Elevation (m)6,1908,849

Military & Security

IndicatorUnited StatesChina
Military Spending (% GDP)3.20%1.50%
Military Personnel1,280,0002,000,000

Infrastructure

IndicatorUnited StatesChina
Internet Users93.0%78.0%
Electricity Consumption4,085,000,000,0008,894,000,000,000
Oil Production (bbl/day)20,953,0004,984,000
United States
China

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