Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Libya, you would:
Health
live 6.9 years longer
In Libya, the average life expectancy is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 72.4% less likely to be obese
In Libya, 33.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
see 40.9% more spent on your healthcare
Libya spends $1,055 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 30.6% more access to essential health services
Libya scores 62 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
be 79.0% more likely to die by suicide
Libya has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Libya, 18.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 2.1 times more money
Libya has a GDP per capita of $6,449 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 72.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Libya, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Libya, approximately 7.9 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 59.0% fewer children
In Libya, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 36.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Libya, approximately 73% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023. In China, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 11.8% more likely to have internet access
In Libya, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In China, about 91.6% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 23.9% less on healthcare
Libya spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.2 times more coastline
Libya has a total of 1,770 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 48.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Libya, road accidents kill 34.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.4 times more home broadband
Libya has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
live with 94.9% less strain on fresh water
Libya withdraws 817% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
use 71.9% more electricity
Libya uses 3,796 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 18.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Libya, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Libya vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Libya? See an in-depth size comparison.