China vs Laos
China is 40.5 times larger than Laos. Laos would fit into China about 41 times.
ChinaLaosChina moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
40.5×
China is 40.5× the area of Laos.
 China |  Laos | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaChina: 40.5× the area | 9,596,961 km²#4 of 194 | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 16 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationChina: 179× the population | 1,406,585,000#2 of 194 · 2025 | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityChina: 4.41× the density | 147 / km²#62 of 194 | 33 / km²#146 of 194 |
| Urban populationChina: 1.65× the urban share | 66%#84 of 192 · 2025 | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLaos: 2.38× the births per woman | 1.01 per woman#188 of 192 · 2024 | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 1.49 points higher | −0.17%#169 of 192 · 2025 | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 3.07× the birth rate | 6.8 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateChina: 1.26× the death rate | 7.8 per 1,000#76 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 14.4 points higher | 15.4%#158 of 192 · 2025 | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65China: 10.1 points higher | 14.9%#55 of 192 · 2025 | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationChina: 1.2 per 1,000 higher | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLaos: 7.45× the refugees for its size | 0.11 per 1,000#116 of 190 · 2025 | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyChina: 8.8 years longer | 78.0 years#53 of 192 · 2024 | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 6.63× the infant mortality | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsChina: 9.42× the doctors per person | 3.11 per 1,000#56 of 178 · 2022 | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentChina: 5.16× the university enrolment | 76.9%#33 of 145 · 2024 | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexChina: 0.180 higher | 0.797#77 of 190 · 2023 | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaChina: 6.62× the income per person | $14,230#65 of 185 · 2025 | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPChina: 1,065× the economy | $19.5T2025 | $18.3B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)China: 2.83× the output per person | $29,333#69 of 184 · 2025 | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthChina: 0.5 points higher | +5.0%#45 of 187 · 2025 | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 7.6 points higher | +0.1%#161 of 176 · 2025 | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentChina: 3.83× the unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2022 | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)China: 1.3 higher | 36.0#63 of 149 · 2022 | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 46.9 points higher | 21.7% of jobs#81 of 178 · 2025 | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryChina: 24.4 points higher | 31.8% of jobs#13 of 178 · 2025 | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesChina: 22.5 points higher | 46.5% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLaos: 7.3 points higher | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 21.1% of GDP#132 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 1.7% of GDP#77 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersChina: 1.4× the share online | 92%#46 of 184 · 2025 | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsChina: 2.03× the mobile subscriptions | 132 per 100#49 of 191 · 2024 | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 2.36× the forest share | 24% of land#112 of 192 · 2024 | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personChina: 2.78× the CO₂ per person | 9.32 t a year#19 of 185 · 2024 | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLaos: 34.0 points higher | 15.2%#121 of 190 · 2021 | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityChina: 3.5 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)China: 1.23× the air pollution | 32.0 µg/m³#43 of 191 · 2023 | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLaos: 3.2 points higher | 15.6% of land#111 of 191 · 2025 | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landChina: 6.3 points higher | 11.6% of land#86 of 190 · 2024 | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressChina: 8.65× the water stress | 41.5%#43 of 176 · 2022 | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLaos: 2.84× the rain and snow | 645 mm#122 of 180 · 2022 | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 0.53 higher | +0.02#103 of 193 · 2025 | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionChina: 1.06 higher | +0.07#79 of 193 · 2025 | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 0.5 per 100,000#137 of 146 · 2020 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | One-party statecommunist party-led state |
| Member of | G20, BRICS | ASEAN |
| Capital | Beijing | Vientiane |
| Currency | Chinese yuan (renminbi) (CNY) | Lao kip (LAK) |
| Official languages | Standard Chinese | Lao |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+8 · UTC+6 to UTC+8, 2 time zones | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +86 | +856 |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia | South-Eastern 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; Laos at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. 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 Laos?
- Yes. China is 40.5 times larger than Laos. China covers 9,596,961 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into China?
- About 41 times: China has 40.5× the area of Laos.
- Why do China and Laos 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 Laos about 1.11×. 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 Laos?
- China: 1,406,585,000 people against 7,873,046. Density: China 147 per km², Laos 33 per km².
- Which is richer, China or Laos?
- By gross national income per person, China: $14,230 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 6.62× as much.
- Where do people live longer, China or Laos?
- In China: life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years, against 69.2 — 8.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do China and Laos have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: one-party state (CIA World Factbook).