Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 77.3% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
be 42.7% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 0.9 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 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 89.0% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 15.5% fewer doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
Economy
make 84.6% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.5% less likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 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 36.1% fewer children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.0% less on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 64.4% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
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.
Safety
be 91.3% less likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 45.1% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In United States, 63% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In China, that number is 91% as of 2020.
be 22.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 21.4% more home broadband
United States has 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
live with 47.4% more strain on fresh water
United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
use 49.2% less electricity
United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 31.6% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
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 States vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.