Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 76.8% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
live 1.0 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 57.2% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
be 9.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 59.9% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 12.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, 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.
have 59.0% fewer children
In Saudi Arabia, 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.
Expenditures
spend 12.9% less on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.5 times more coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 46.8% less likely to be murdered
Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
live with 95.7% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
use 45.2% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 29.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 49.6% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.