Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in India instead of China, you would:

Health

be 37.1% less likely to be obese

In China, 6.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In India, that number is 3.9% of people as of 2016.

live 6.4 years less

In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020. In India, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

pay a 21.0% lower top tax rate

China has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In India, the top tax rate is 35.5% as of 2016.

make 60.4% less money

China has a GDP per capita of $18,200 as of 2018, while in India, the GDP per capita is $7,200 as of 2017.

be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In China, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In India, that number is 8.5% as of 2017.

be 6.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In China, 3.3% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In India, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2011.

Life

have 56.9% more children

In China, there are approximately 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In India, there are 18.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

be 5.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In China, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In India, 145.0 women do as of 2017.

be 23.1% less likely to be literate

In China, the literacy rate is 96.8% as of 2018. In India, it is 74.4% as of 2018.

be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In China, approximately 11.4 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In India, on the other hand, 35.4 children do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 15.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In China, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2016. In India, 84% of the population do as of 2017.

be 36.6% less likely to have internet access

In China, approximately 54.3% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In India, about 34.5% do as of 2018.

Geography

see 51.7% less coastline

China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, State Administration of Taxation, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

India: At a glance

India is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,973,193 sq km. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.
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How big is India compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.

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