Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.7 years less

In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In Russia, that number is 72 years (67 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In China, 6.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Russia, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 61.6% more money

China has a GDP per capita of $16,400 as of 2020, while in Russia, the GDP per capita is $26,500 as of 2020.

pay a 71.1% lower top tax rate

China has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Russia, the top tax rate is 13.0% as of 2016.

be 26.4% more likely to be unemployed

In China, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Russia, that number is 4.6% as of 2019.

be 21.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In China, 0.6% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Russia, however, that number is 12.6% as of 2018.

Life

be 41.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In China, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Russia, 17.0 women do as of 2017.

Basic Needs

be 21.4% more likely to have internet access

In China, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Russia, about 85.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 34.3% more on education

China spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Russia spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

Geography

see 2.6 times more coastline

China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Russia, that number is 37,653 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Federal Tax Service of Russia, The World Factbook, State Administration of Taxation.

Russia: At a glance

Russia is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 16,377,742 sq km. Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new ROMANOV Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic ambitions in favor of a centralized semi-authoritarian state in which the leadership seeks to legitimize its rule through managed national elections, populist appeals by President PUTIN, and continued economic growth. Russia has severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus.
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How big is Russia compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.

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