Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of United Kingdom, you would:
Health
be 66.1% less likely to be obese
In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
live 3.4 years less
In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 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 77.5% less spent on your healthcare
United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
Economy
make 75.9% less money
United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $57,602 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In United Kingdom, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.5% fewer children
In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.0% less on education
United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 46.6% less on healthcare
United Kingdom spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 16.7% more coastline
United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 55.4% less likely to be murdered
United Kingdom has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 7.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Kingdom, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.9% more home broadband
United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
use 55.5% more electricity
United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
live with 2.9 times more strain on fresh water
United Kingdom withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 4.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United Kingdom, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
United Kingdom emits 4.2 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: United Kingdom vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.