Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Italy, you would:
Health
be 33.6% less likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
live 5.9 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 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 70.2% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 25.7% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
be 28.0% more likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 68.0% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 78.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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.
Expenditures
spend 29.6% less on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.8% more coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 12.3% less likely to be murdered
Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 48.5% more home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
use 27.0% more electricity
Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
live with 39.5% more strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% 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 Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 83.5% more CO2
Italy emits 5.1 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: Italy vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.