Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of China, you would:
Health
live 1.5 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 76.1% more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
see 28.3% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 82.6% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
be 85.4% more likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 83.1% less likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
make 41.9% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
have 19.9% more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
be 87.8% 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.4% less on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 23.6% less on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 77.8% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.
Safety
be 26.8% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In China, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Thailand, that number is 67% as of 2022.
be 46.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 44.6% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
find 68.4% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
use 54.5% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 54.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 57.5% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.