Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of France, you would:
Health
be 17.0% less likely to be obese
In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
be 46.0% less likely to die by suicide
France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.0 years less
In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 78.4% less spent on your healthcare
France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
Economy
be 38.7% less likely to be unemployed
In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 71.7% less money
France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In France, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.6% more likely to die during infancy
In France, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 30.2% fewer children
In France, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.7% less on education
France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 48.5% less on healthcare
France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.0 times more coastline
France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 62.7% less likely to be murdered
France has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 11.5% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In France, 82% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In China, that number is 91% as of 2020.
be 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.2% more strain on fresh water
France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 6.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: France vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.