China vs Russia
Russia is 78% larger than China. China would fit into Russia about 1.8 times.
ChinaRussiaChina moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.56×
China is 0.56× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 1.78× the size of China.
 China |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 1.78× the area | 9,596,961 km²#4 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 16 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationChina: 9.8× the population | 1,406,585,000#2 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityChina: 17.4× the density | 147 / km²#62 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationRussia: 1.14× the urban share | 66%#84 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateRussia: 1.41× the births per woman | 1.01 per woman#188 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthRussia: 0.06 points higher | −0.17%#169 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateRussia: 1.24× the birth rate | 6.8 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.59× the death rate | 7.8 per 1,000#76 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Russia: 1.6 points higher | 15.4%#158 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 2.9 points higher | 14.9%#55 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationChina: 1.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 6.27× the refugees for its size | 0.11 per 1,000#116 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyChina: 4.6 years longer | 78.0 years#53 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 1.64× the doctors per person | 3.11 per 1,000#56 of 178 · 2022 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentChina: 1.27× the university enrolment | 76.9%#33 of 145 · 2024 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.035 higher | 0.797#77 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 1.12× the income per person | $14,230#65 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPChina: 7.61× the economy | $19.5T2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 1.69× the output per person | $29,333#69 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthChina: 4.0 points higher | +5.0%#45 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 8.6 points higher | +0.1%#161 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentChina: 2.19× the unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2022 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)China: 3.0 higher | 36.0#63 of 149 · 2022 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureChina: 16.6 points higher | 21.7% of jobs#81 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 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 servicesRussia: 22.6 points higher | 46.5% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentThe same | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsChina: 2.9 points higher | 21.1% of GDP#132 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 4.36× the military spending | 1.7% of GDP#77 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 1.03× the share online | 92%#46 of 184 · 2025 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.41× the mobile subscriptions | 132 per 100#49 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 2.12× the forest share | 24% of land#112 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.5× the CO₂ per person | 9.32 t a year#19 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyChina: 11.7 points higher | 15.2%#121 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)China: 2.76× the air pollution | 32.0 µg/m³#43 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landChina: 4.1 points higher | 15.6% of land#111 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landChina: 4.2 points higher | 11.6% of land#86 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressChina: 10.1× the water stress | 41.5%#43 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationChina: 1.4× the rain and snow | 645 mm#122 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityChina: 0.96 higher | +0.02#103 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionChina: 1.05 higher | +0.07#79 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 13.6× the homicide rate | 0.5 per 100,000#137 of 146 · 2020 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | G20, BRICS | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Beijing | Moscow |
| Currency | Chinese yuan (renminbi) (CNY) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Standard Chinese | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+8 · UTC+6 to UTC+8, 2 time zones | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +86 | +7 |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to China. 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 Russia?
- No. China is 44% smaller than Russia. China covers 9,596,961 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does China fit into Russia?
- About 1.8 times: Russia has 1.78× the area of China.
- Why do China and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to China. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, China or Russia?
- China: 1,406,585,000 people against 143,513,328. Density: China 147 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, China or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $14,230 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.12× as much.
- Where do people live longer, China or Russia?
- In China: life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years, against 73.4 — 4.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do China and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — China: one-party state; Russia: semi-presidential republic.