Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kenya instead of China, you would:
Health
be 48.8% less likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kenya, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.2 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 21.4% more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
see 81.5% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kenya spends $274 as of 2023.
have 90.7% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Kenya has 2.9 as of 2023.
have 34.6% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kenya scores 53 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.0% more likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kenya, that number is 5.5% as of 2025.
make 83.0% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $2,363 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.0 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kenya, there are 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.3 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 Kenya, 149.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.6% less likely to be literate
In China, the literacy rate is 96.7% as of 2020. In Kenya, it is 82.6% as of 2021.
be 8.3 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 Kenya, on the other hand, 34.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.8% 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 Kenya, that number is 76% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 61.8% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Kenya, about 35.0% do as of 2024.
be 31.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In China, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 66% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.8% less on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.3% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Kenya, that number is 536 km.
Safety
be 9.7 times more likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Kenya, that number is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 62.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kenya, they kill 28.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 19.9% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kenya withdraws 33% as of 2022.
find 93.6% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kenya has 3.0 as of 2024.
use 97.0% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kenya uses 195 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 48.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kenya, it causes 33.0 as of 2019.
emit 95.9% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Kenya
Kenya: At a glance
How big is Kenya compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.