Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in China instead of Bhutan, you would:

Health

live 3.8 years longer

In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 72 years (71 years for men, 73 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 56.9% more money

Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $11,600 as of 2021, while in China, the GDP per capita is $18,200 as of 2022.

be 16.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Bhutan, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In China, that number is 5.0% as of 2022.

Life

be 61.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Bhutan, approximately 60.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In China, 23.0 women do as of 2020.

be 36.5% more likely to be literate

In Bhutan, the literacy rate is 70.9% as of 2021. In China, it is 96.8% as of 2018.

be 75.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Bhutan, approximately 27.0 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 33.3% fewer children

In Bhutan, there are approximately 15.3 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 15.1% less likely to have internet access

In Bhutan, approximately 86.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In China, about 73.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 48.6% less on education

Bhutan spends 7.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. China spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 27.3% more on healthcare

Bhutan spends 4.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In China, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
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How big is China compared to Bhutan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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