Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Yemen instead of China, you would:
Health
be 53.0% less likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Yemen, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 8.6 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 43.4% more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
see 88.6% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Yemen spends $169 as of 2023.
have 96.9% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Yemen has 1.0 as of 2023.
have 48.1% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Yemen scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Yemen, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 5.1 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Yemen, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.4 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 Yemen, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.2 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 Yemen, on the other hand, 33.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.4% 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 Yemen, that number is 84% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 80.7% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Yemen, about 17.7% do as of 2022.
be 21.9% 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 Yemen, that number is 75% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.3% more on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Yemen, that number is 9.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 86.9% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Yemen, that number is 1,906 km.
Safety
be 71.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Yemen, they kill 29.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.3% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Yemen has 1.3 as of 2022.
live with 4.1 times more strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Yemen withdraws 170% as of 2022.
use 98.6% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Yemen uses 90 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 97.2% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 70.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Yemen, it causes 109.0 as of 2019.
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. Yemen
Yemen: At a glance
How big is Yemen compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.