Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 54.0% less likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
be 32.1% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.1 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 84.4% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 37.4% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
Economy
make 85.3% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 16.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 Norway, 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 28.2% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 37.0% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 42.3% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 30.6% less likely to be murdered
Norway has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 11.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 20.4 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
use 72.4% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 8.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.8% more CO2
Norway emits 7.2 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: Norway vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.