Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Brunei
5,765 km²
0.1% of largest
China is 1664.69× larger than Brunei
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Brunei
0.0% OF LARGEST
459.5K
PEOPLE
China has 3074.21× the population of Brunei
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
Brunei
0.1% OF LARGEST
$12.02B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Brunei
0.4% OF LARGEST
7.2K
TROOPS
China has 282.64× the active personnel of Brunei
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Brunei
1.4% OF LARGEST
47
AIRCRAFT
China has 69.89× the aircraft of Brunei
Naval Assets
China
Brunei
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Brunei
0.2% OF LARGEST
4.6
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Brunei
0.1% OF LARGEST
$4B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Brunei
—
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)
Brunei
$11.4B
Exports
$11.4B
Imports
$9.0B
Trade Balance
+$2.4B
Trade Surplus
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
Brunei
supply
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Brunei
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Brunei
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Brunei
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
China
consumption
Brunei
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Brunei
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
Brunei
No Olympic medal data
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Brunei
China
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Brunei
32.4
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 6.6 years older (median) than Brunei
Youth Population
Brunei has the highest youth population at 47.3% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Brunei
|
China
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
85
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
65.7M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time | — |
8
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide | — |
9
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Brunei
|
China
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $6 | $5 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $30 | $25 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $800 | $600 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $500 | $380 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $70 | $50 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $80 | $20 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $25 | $30 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | Brunei | China |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 459500 | 1412600000 |
| Area (sq km) | 5765 | 9596961 |
| Capital | Bandar Seri Begawan | Beijing |
| Official Language | Malay | Mandarin Chinese |
| Currency | Brunei Dollar (BND) | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) |
| Government Type | Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy | Unitary one-party socialist republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Brunei | China |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 7,200 | 2,035,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 700 | 510,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 7,900 | 2,545,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $415,000,000 | $292,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 21 | 5,651 |
| Armored Vehicles | 45 | 35,000 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 24 | 4,120 |
| Towed Artillery | 12 | 6,246 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 2,430 |
Economy
| Metric | Brunei | China |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $12,016,000,000 | $17,963,200,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $26,143 | $12,720 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 9.1% | 4.0% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 32.7 | 38.5 |
| Currency | Brunei Dollar (BND) | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| Brunei Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.1905 Weaker |
| China Currency | 5.2507 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | BND | CNY |
| 1 USD equals | 1.2967 BND Updated: 2026-06-27 | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 1664.7 times larger in area than Brunei.
That's a massive difference!
China has 3074.2 times more people than Brunei.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
Brunei has the highest GDP per capita at $26,143 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$17.96 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.
Brunei vs China: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 1494.9x larger than Brunei's $12B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 3074.2x larger than Brunei's 459,500.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 1664.7x larger than Brunei.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Brunei's 7.2Thousand.
Trade: Brunei runs a trade surplus of $2B while China runs a trade surplus of $534B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 77 years vs Brunei's 76.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology