Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Germany, you would:
Health
be 55.0% less likely to be obese
In Germany, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
be 30.6% less likely to die by suicide
Germany has a suicide rate of 12.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.8 years less
In Germany, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 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 83.2% less spent on your healthcare
Germany spends $8,826 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 31.4% fewer doctors per person
Germany has 45.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
Economy
be 24.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Germany, 3.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 77.1% less money
Germany has a GDP per capita of $60,496 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Germany, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Germany, approximately 3.1 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 16.4% fewer children
In Germany, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.6% less on education
Germany spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 51.6% less on healthcare
Germany spends 12.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.1 times more coastline
Germany has a total of 2,389 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 45.1% less likely to be murdered
Germany has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 26.8% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Germany, 72% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In China, that number is 91% as of 2020.
be 5.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Germany, road accidents kill 3.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 17.5% more strain on fresh water
Germany withdraws 35% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 4.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Germany, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 34.3% more CO2
Germany emits 6.9 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Germany vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Germany? See an in-depth size comparison.