China and India, side by side — population, land area, economy, life expectancy, height and air quality, each figure straight from World Bank and NCD-RisC data. Swap in any other country to compare further.
| Metric | China | India |
|---|---|---|
| Population2025 | 1,406,585,000 | 1,463,865,525✓ |
| Land area2025 | 9,388,210 km²✓ | 2,973,190 km² |
| Population density2025 | 149.8/km² | 492.4/km² |
| GDP (nominal)2025 | $19.50T✓ | $3.96T |
| GDP per capita2025 | $13,862✓ | $2,702 |
| Life expectancy2024 | 78 yrs✓ | 72.2 yrs |
| Height (men)2019 | 175.7 cm✓ | 166.5 cm |
| Homicide rate2020 | 0.5 per 100k✓ | 2.8 per 100k |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)2023 | 31.99 µg/m³✓ | 54.05 µg/m³ |
Highlighted cell leads that metric. Land area is land only (inland water excluded); the homicide rate measures one kind of harm, not overall safety; population density is shown without a winner. A dash means no comparable figure.
Who leads where
China leads in land area, economy, GDP per capita, life expectancy, average male height, a lower homicide rate and cleaner air (lower PM2.5); India leads in population.
Questions people ask
What data is used to compare China and India?
Every figure comes from open, primary sources: population, land area, GDP, GDP per capita, life expectancy, homicide rate and PM2.5 air pollution from the World Bank World Development Indicators, and average adult height from NCD-RisC. We format each metric the same way for both countries so the comparison is fair.
How is the winner of each row decided?
For most metrics a higher figure wins — more population, a larger economy, longer life expectancy, taller average height. For the homicide rate and PM2.5 air pollution a lower figure wins, so the safer, cleaner country is highlighted. Population density is shown without a winner because denser is neither good nor bad in itself.
Does the homicide rate mean one country is safer overall?
No. The homicide rate measures one specific kind of harm — intentional killings per 100,000 people. It is a useful signal, but it is not a full measure of safety, which also depends on assault, theft, road deaths and much more that this figure does not capture.
What does land area include?
Land area is the World Bank figure for a country's land only — it excludes inland waters such as major lakes and rivers, so it can be smaller than the total-area number you may see elsewhere.
Can I compare any two countries, not just this pair?
Yes. Use the two selectors at the top to pick any of the 217 countries and territories in the dataset, or press swap to flip the two columns. The table rebuilds instantly.
More comparisons
Popular pairs, side by side.
Sources
Every figure traces to a named, primary dataset.