Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Eritrea instead of China, you would:
Health
be 53.4% less likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2024.
live 9.1 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 94.2% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Eritrea spends $87 as of 2023.
have 97.2% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Eritrea has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 44.4% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Eritrea scores 45 as of 2021.
be 47.8% more likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Eritrea, it is 13.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 29.4% more likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Eritrea, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 4.2 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Eritrea, there are 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 18.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Eritrea, 291.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.8% less likely to be literate
In China, the literacy rate is 96.7% as of 2020. In Eritrea, it is 76.6% as of 2018.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Eritrea, on the other hand, 24.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 45.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In China, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Eritrea, that number is 54% of people on average (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 71.0% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Eritrea, about 26.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 38.0% less on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Eritrea, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 84.6% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Eritrea, that number is 2,234 km.
Infrastructure
live with 73.1% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Eritrea withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.6% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Eritrea has 0.2 as of 2022.
use 98.1% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Eritrea uses 123 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 97.6% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Eritrea emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 21.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Eritrea, it causes 78.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2018), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Eritrea
Eritrea: At a glance
How big is Eritrea compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.