Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 82.9% less likely to be obese
In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In China, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2016.
live 4.5 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In China, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
make 71.8% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $64,600 as of 2022, while in China, the GDP per capita is $18,200 as of 2022.
be 36.4% more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In China, that number is 5.0% as of 2022.
pay a 13.6% higher top tax rate
United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In China, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 30.8% more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In China, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2022.
have 16.4% fewer children
In United States, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 20.7% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In China, about 73.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 41.0% less on education
United States spends 6.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. China spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 70.2% less on healthcare
United States spends 18.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In China, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 27.2% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, State Administration of Taxation.
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.