Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of China, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
be 89.4% less likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 34.2% less likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 2.5 times more money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 56.2% less 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
have 2.4 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.6% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.9% more on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.8% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 88.0% more likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
use 82.6% more electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 23.5 times more strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 42.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 98.3% more CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.