China at its true size

China covers 9,596,961 km², number 5 of 235 by area. Home to 1,406,585,000 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.56× too large.

Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
Area9,596,961 km² Wikidata
Population1,406,585,000 World Bank, 2025
Density147 per km²
CapitalBeijing
RegionEastern Asia, Asia
StatusIndependent state
CoastHas a coastline
CodesCN · CHN · 156

Countries of a similar size

Neighbours

Questions about China

How big is China?
China covers 9,596,961 km², which makes it number 5 of 235 countries and territories by area. About 1,406,585,000 people live there (2025), 147 per km².
Is China bigger than United States?
China and United States are almost exactly the same size. China: 9,596,961 km²; United States: 9,826,675 km².
How much does the Mercator map distort China?
At about 37° latitude, Mercator stretches China to roughly 1.56× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
Which countries border China?
China shares a land border with Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Tajikistan, North Korea, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Macao.