China vs India
China is 2.92 times larger than India. India would fit into China about 2.9 times.
ChinaIndiaChina moved onto India · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
2.92×
China is 2.92× the area of India.
 China |  India | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaChina: 2.92× the area | 9,596,961 km²#4 of 194 | 3,287,263 km²#7 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 16 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIndia: 1.04× the population | 1,406,585,000#2 of 194 · 2025 | 1,463,865,525#1 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityIndia: 3.04× the density | 147 / km²#62 of 194 | 445 / km²#18 of 194 |
| Urban populationChina: 1.86× the urban share | 66%#84 of 192 · 2025 | 36%#158 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIndia: 1.94× the births per woman | 1.01 per woman#188 of 192 · 2024 | 1.96 per woman#97 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIndia: 1.06 points higher | −0.17%#169 of 192 · 2025 | +0.89%#104 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIndia: 2.35× the birth rate | 6.8 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 | 16.0 per 1,000#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateChina: 1.18× the death rate | 7.8 per 1,000#76 of 192 · 2024 | 6.6 per 1,000#117 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15India: 8.8 points higher | 15.4%#158 of 192 · 2025 | 24.2%#96 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65China: 7.5 points higher | 14.9%#55 of 192 · 2025 | 7.4%#98 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationChina: 0.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadChina: 3.67× the refugees for its size | 0.11 per 1,000#116 of 190 · 2025 | 0.03 per 1,000#138 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyChina: 5.8 years longer | 78.0 years#53 of 192 · 2024 | 72.2 years#115 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityIndia: 5.68× the infant mortality | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 | 23.3 per 1,000 births#61 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsChina: 4.32× the doctors per person | 3.11 per 1,000#56 of 178 · 2022 | 0.72 per 1,000#118 of 178 · 2020 |
| University enrolmentChina: 2.24× the university enrolment | 76.9%#33 of 145 · 2024 | 34.4%#99 of 145 · 2025 |
| Human Development IndexChina: 0.112 higher | 0.797#77 of 190 · 2023 | 0.685#128 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaChina: 5.16× the income per person | $14,230#65 of 185 · 2025 | $2,760#140 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPChina: 4.93× the economy | $19.5T2025 | $3.96T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)China: 2.5× the output per person | $29,333#69 of 184 · 2025 | $11,748#123 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthIndia: 2.6 points higher | +5.0%#45 of 187 · 2025 | +7.6%#14 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIndia: 2.3 points higher | +0.1%#161 of 176 · 2025 | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentChina: 1.1× the unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2022 | 2.6%#66 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)China: 13.0 higher | 36.0#63 of 149 · 2022 | 23.0#149 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureIndia: 19.9 points higher | 21.7% of jobs#81 of 178 · 2025 | 41.6% of jobs#38 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryChina: 6.0 points higher | 31.8% of jobs#13 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesChina: 13.9 points higher | 46.5% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 32.6% of jobs#162 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentIndia: 0.6 points higher | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIndia: 1.2 points higher | 21.1% of GDP#132 of 168 · 2025 | 22.3% of GDP#123 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingIndia: 1.34× the military spending | 1.7% of GDP#77 of 155 · 2025 | 2.3% of GDP#47 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersChina: 1.31× the share online | 92%#46 of 184 · 2025 | 70%#120 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsChina: 1.67× the mobile subscriptions | 132 per 100#49 of 191 · 2024 | 79 per 100#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAbout the same forest share | 24% of land#112 of 192 · 2024 | 24% of land#111 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personChina: 4.29× the CO₂ per person | 9.32 t a year#19 of 185 · 2024 | 2.17 t a year#99 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyIndia: 19.7 points higher | 15.2%#121 of 190 · 2021 | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityChina: 0.1 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 99.9%#100 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)India: 1.69× the air pollution | 32.0 µg/m³#43 of 191 · 2023 | 54.1 µg/m³#11 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landChina: 7.9 points higher | 15.6% of land#111 of 191 · 2025 | 7.7% of land#155 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIndia: 40.1 points higher | 11.6% of land#86 of 190 · 2024 | 51.7% of land#5 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIndia: 1.6× the water stress | 41.5%#43 of 176 · 2022 | 66.5%#27 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIndia: 1.68× the rain and snow | 645 mm#122 of 180 · 2022 | 1,083 mm#86 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityChina: 0.63 higher | +0.02#103 of 193 · 2025 | −0.61#149 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionChina: 0.35 higher | +0.07#79 of 193 · 2025 | −0.28#99 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateIndia: 5.6× the homicide rate | 0.5 per 100,000#137 of 146 · 2020 | 2.8 per 100,000#63 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Member of | G20, BRICS | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Beijing | New Delhi |
| Currency | Chinese yuan (renminbi) (CNY) | Indian rupee (INR) |
| Official languages | Standard Chinese | English, Hindi |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+8 · UTC+6 to UTC+8, 2 time zones | UTC+5:30 |
| Calling code | +86 | +91 |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia | Southern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. China sits at about 37° N and is stretched to 1.56× its true area; India at 23° N is stretched to 1.18×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is China bigger than India?
- Yes. China is 2.92 times larger than India. China covers 9,596,961 km² and India covers 3,287,263 km².
- How many times does India fit into China?
- About 2.9 times: China has 2.92× the area of India.
- Why do China and India look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. China is drawn about 1.56× its true area there and India about 1.18×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, China or India?
- India: 1,463,865,525 people against 1,406,585,000. Density: China 147 per km², India 445 per km².
- Which is richer, China or India?
- By gross national income per person, China: $14,230 against $2,760 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 5.16× as much.
- Where do people live longer, China or India?
- In China: life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years, against 72.2 — 5.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do China and India have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — China: one-party state; India: parliamentary republic.