Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of China, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.
be 5.8 times more likely to be obese
In China, 6.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 3.7 times more money
China has a GDP per capita of $16,400 as of 2020, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $60,200 as of 2020.
pay a 12.0% lower top tax rate
China has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In United States, the top tax rate is 39.6% as of 2016.
be 25.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In China, 0.6% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In United States, however, that number is 15.1% as of 2010.
Life
be 34.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In United States, 19.0 women do as of 2017.
be 23.5% less likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 6.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United States, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2022.
have 23.7% more children
In China, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In United States, there are 12.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 30.0% more likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In United States, about 91.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 42.9% more on education
China spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. United States spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2014.
spend 3.1 times more on healthcare
China spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In United States, that number is 16.8% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 37.4% more coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, State Administration of Taxation.
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.