Quality of life comparison
If you lived in India instead of China, you would:
Health
be 13.8% less likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In India, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
live 5.8 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In India, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 76.7% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). India spends $346 as of 2023.
have 76.8% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. India has 7.2 as of 2020.
have 22.2% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. India scores 63 as of 2021.
be 40.3% more likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In India, it is 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 80.5% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in India, the GDP per capita is $2,702 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In India, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.0 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 India, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.7 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 India, on the other hand, 23.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.6% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In India, about 70.0% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 43.8% less on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In India, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 51.7% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.
Safety
be 11.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In India, they kill 15.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.6 times more likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In India, that number is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 93.3% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. India has 3.1 as of 2024.
live with 60.1% more strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. India withdraws 66% as of 2022.
use 81.9% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. India uses 1,182 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 76.7% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. India emits 2.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 29.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In India, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. India
India: At a glance
How big is India compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.