AFN
…
CNY
…
Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Afghanistan
652,230 km²
6.8% of largest
China is 14.71× larger than Afghanistan
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Afghanistan
3.1% OF LARGEST
43.84M
PEOPLE
China has 32.08× the population of Afghanistan
GDP
China
LARGEST
$19.5T
Afghanistan
0.1% OF LARGEST
$17.1B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Afghanistan
8.8% OF LARGEST
180K
TROOPS
China has 11.31× the active personnel of Afghanistan
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Afghanistan
5.1% OF LARGEST
167
AIRCRAFT
China has 19.67× the aircraft of Afghanistan
Naval Assets
China
Afghanistan
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Afghanistan
1.0% OF LARGEST
21.9
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Afghanistan
0.3% OF LARGEST
$8B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Afghanistan
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Afghanistan
$2.9B
Exports
$2.9B
Imports
$8.7B
Trade Balance
$-5.8B
Trade Deficit
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Afghanistan
supply
Tea
kg / person / yr
Afghanistan
supply
China
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Afghanistan
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Afghanistan
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
China
consumption
Afghanistan
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Afghanistan
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Afghanistan
0
Gold
0
Silver
2
Bronze
2
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Afghanistan
China
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Afghanistan
18.4
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 20.6 years older (median) than Afghanistan
Youth Population
Afghanistan has the highest youth population at 70% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Afghanistan
|
China
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
85
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
65.7M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
0
|
8
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
12
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
2
|
56
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Afghanistan
|
China
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $2 | $5 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $10 | $25 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $200 | $600 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $100 | $380 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $40 | $50 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $25 | $20 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $10 | $30 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
China
Afghanistan
Physicians per 1,000
China
Afghanistan
Hospital beds per 1,000
China
Afghanistan
Diabetes prevalence
China
Afghanistan
Obesity prevalence
Afghanistan
China
Suicide rate per 100k
China
Afghanistan
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Afghanistan vs China — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Afghanistan | China |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 43844111 | 1406585000 |
| Area (sq km) | 652230 | 9596961 |
| Capital | Kabul | Beijing |
| Official Language | Pashto, Dari | Mandarin Chinese |
| Currency | Afghan Afghani (AFN) | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) |
| Government Type | Unitary presidential Islamic republic | Unitary one-party socialist republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Afghanistan | China |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 180,000 | 2,035,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 0 | 510,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 180,000 | 2,545,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $2,800,000,000 | $292,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 150 | 5,651 |
| Armored Vehicles | 2,000 | 35,000 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 85 | 4,120 |
| Towed Artillery | 150 | 6,246 |
| Rocket Projectors | 50 | 2,430 |
Economy
| Metric | Afghanistan | China |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,100,000,000 | $19,498,039,388,043 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $390 | $13,862 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 13.4% | 4.6% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 29.4 | 36.0 |
| Currency | Afghan Afghani (AFN) | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 14.7 times larger in area than Afghanistan.
That's a massive difference!
China has 32.1 times more people than Afghanistan.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
China has the highest GDP per capita at $13,862 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$19.5 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
Afghanistan vs China: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $19.5T is 1140.2x larger than Afghanistan's $17B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 32.1x larger than Afghanistan's 44M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 14.7x larger than Afghanistan.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Afghanistan's 180Thousand.
Trade: Afghanistan has a trade deficit of $6B while China runs a trade surplus of $534B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 78 years vs Afghanistan's 66.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology